Bold colors are making a comeback in home decor. Serene neutrals served us well during the pandemic, but now that we’re emerging from our COVID cocoons, many of us yearn for a change.
And few colors are more bold than Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year, Viva Magenta. Brave, fearless, and powerful and empowering are a few of the terms that the color firm uses to describe the shade.
Unlike past Colors of the Year such as Ultimate Gray, Classic Blue, or Rose Quartz, this year’s red-purple-pink hue probably won’t be a popular choice for sofas or walls. (Though if you love the idea of being surrounded by magenta, go for it!) In fact, knowing that the color is apt to be used as a supporting player rather than the star, Pantone suggests several quieter complementary hues, including subdued lilac, muted baby blue, and light green-gray.
Then again, just about any palette, light or dark, can effortlessly be updated with a few splashes of magenta and bold pink. Toss a few magenta pillows on your ivory sofa—or your black one. Hang an abstract painting accented with pinks and purples on your pale gray or navy blue walls. Place a faux orchid with fuchsia petals on a wood, marble, acrylic, or rattan console. Magenta is all about being audacious and having fun—and where better to do that than in your own home?
A vibrant velvet ottoman more than holds its own among multiple animal prints. Photo by Frank Frances Studio.
The cashmere throw’s pop of color raises the energy level of this living room without disturbing the luxe ambience. Find the sofa here and the cocktail table here. Photo by Joe Schmelzer.
Rewind is just one of Michelle Armas’s abstracts that take full advantage of a bold palette.
When you’re ready to go bolder than a pillow but don’t want to commit to something as long-term as a sofa, consider a traditional rug in a decidedly untraditional vibrant palette like this one.
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