Colour was on the lips of many designers at this year’s International Design Show.
Bold. Punchy. Colour that makes a statement.
Eye-catching colours like orange, eggplant and electric blue are making their way into home decor this year, making a splash in neutral-themed rooms and igniting conversation.
For Canadian colour designer Janice Lindsay, the neutral, back-seat colour this year is gray. But not just any gray.
“The biggest colour story of all is what I call organic gray. The gray of sandstone, natural things,” said Lindsay. “Not the gray we would associate in industrial buildings or business clothing. (Rather like) rock, gray fur. Gray is kinda the background and strong hints of colour are in the foreground.”
The interior color designer, who runs Pink Colour & Design in Toronto, said to use more gray and less white for a more elegant look.
“If we use (gray) as background, we can throw in any color, ‘sizzly’ colours — colour accents in really surprising ways,” said Lindsay, who recently wrote a book titled, All About Colour. “In a room that would typically be all neutral, you will see really sassy colours, like in throw pillows, or a chair.”
Kitchen appliances are also showing their true colours. Pumpkin and chocolate have made their way into the kitchen, and no, it’s not Halloween.
A wildly coloured stove or fridge is landing among the stainless steel monotony as an accent piece. Viking has come out with 24 colours, ranging from racing red to cobalt blue, to pumpkin, plum, mint julep and chocolate, while Bertazzoni has created eight.
“We’re seeing an increase in the demand for something other than stainless steel,” said Steve Anderson of Distinctive Appliances, which distributes the two lines. “People are … trying to be different than their neighbours. They’re trying to steal the show.
“They’re trying to have panache.”
