Learn how to use pink in a stunning contemporary scheme. Pink doesn't have to be twee, old-fashioned or girly...! Find out more...
Spring is well on the way, so I feel that it is time to soften up our interior design looks a little, and try out contemporary-style decorating in pink.
Pink is a lovely color – soft, feminine and romantic – but it doesn’t need to be girly and twee…!
Contemporary decorating ideas can let us use pink in a different way – pink can be sophisticated and elegant too!
And pink doesn’t just need to be confined to the bedroom either – pink looks good in all rooms of the house – even kitchens and bathrooms!
You might have steered clear of pink in the past – thinking it a color for little girls and single women – not so any more!
Pink is actually a very versatile color, and can be used in different shades, quantities and combinations to get lots of different effects.
Pink is a lovely soft color in feeling, and can give a relaxing and soothing atmosphere to your home – a real ‘feminine touch’.
Brighter and deeper shades of pink can look sharp and dramatic, and give feelings of passion, excitement and drama to a room.
Try using pale pinks as backgrounds or base colors on walls – but then ‘toughen’ your look up slightly by including accents of stronger colors on focal walls, and in fabrics and accessories.
Some shades that can go really well with pink are:
Green - as its contrast/complementary color, green looks absolutely fantastic and striking with pink – try soft, muted shades, but with plenty of depth of color
Blue - a mixture of pale blue and pink gives quite a retro, 1950’s feel. Try mixing in retro style fabrics with rose and flower patterns – this is a combination that works particularly well in kitchens, for a fresh and funky, contemporary decorating feel.
Reds and Oranges - these give a really ‘hot’ and spicy look – ideal for modern bedrooms, lounges and bathrooms. Choose to mix with hot, fuchsia pink, or paler shades, depending on your preferences.
Creams and Golds - pink looks classy and elegant when mixed with creams and golds. This can be quite an old-fashioned and girly look, especially when used with traditionally styled furniture and furnishings.
Brown, navy and grey - if you would like to use pink, but the man of the house is dead-set against it, try adding pink as an accent in a deep brown, navy or charcoal grey room. A bright pink or magenta will give life and vitality to this sombre and sophisticated color scheme.
Lilac and mauve - for a soft, romantic and warming scheme, mix soft pinks with similar tones of lilacs and mauves for a very harmonious feel.
Pink is quite a soft color – so to keep your contemporary scheme on track with a modern feel, keep your styling quite straight and simple, and avoid anything too fussy.
Mixing pink with patterns gives extra interest and focus to your contemporary decorating scheme. Too keep away from that old-fashioned, twee feel to pink, steer clear of small, delicate patterns. Instead try bold stripes or spots, or large-scale, vibrant, flowers and foliage patterns.
For furniture, pink mixes very well with bright, fresh white, or sophisticated, dark woods.
There are plenty of accessories available in soft pink or vibrant magenta shades, so use them to add extra pink focus and interest to your room… Do remember though that accessories are accents and should be in an accent color, compared to the rest of your room, so don’t just pile on the pink! In a predominantly pink room, choose green, blue or brown accents (for example), while in a green room, loads of pink, pink, pink accessories will look absolutely fab!
I love pink, flowery fairy lights in any room – they give a beautiful, soft glow and really set a romantic mood.
Finish off your pink contemporary decorating scheme with flowers – there are plenty of pink flowers to choose from – go for something striking that you love – orchids or roses, perhaps! Oh and don’t just wait for him to buy you some – go ahead and get your own!
Pink is a gorgeous color, and I think every woman should connect with her femininity and have a little pink somewhere in her home – but remember you can have too much of a good thing – so with pink, do always be very careful not to overdo it!
Start your contemporary decorating with pink straight away by checking out what unusual pink things you can find on eBay…
This is a live feed from eBay and is constantly updated. Simply click on any product for further information, or to bid or buy.
If you are ready to start your contemporary decorating in pink, take a look at this checklist of interior design tips to get your design going in a really professional manner.
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