A few weeks back Pantone announced the Colour of the Year for 2012 as Tangerine and as I’m sitting here with a bowl of Christmas oranges in front of me I’m contemplating how we can all bring this jovial hue home for more than just the holidays.
I love this flamboyant, intense, bright and impactful hue-it is a shade full of fun and happiness and one that I actually already have at home in my workout room. Orange is on the warm side of the colour wheel so that means it is a energy producing shade that will give us more oomph to get up and go, and stimulate appetites and conversation making this a shade to consider for dining rooms, kitchens, living rooms, offices, gyms and even the foyer. In small spaces, such as foyers, powder rooms, offices and dining rooms I prefer to paint all four walls and perhaps even the ceiling in the same hue so that I literally envelop ourselves in the space. My desire here is to create a sense of intimacy. I may employ a fabulous textured wall paper on the walls and then paint the flat ceiling in the same shade as the paper or visa versa. In larger spaces such as great rooms and living rooms I may commit to just painting a feature wall or two in this tangerine hue. Don’t forget to throw around some fabulous tangerine accents as well: a vase filled with tiger lilies or an exotic bird of paradise stem, embroidered tangerine silk cushions, a collection of tangerine pillar candles scented with essence of orange ginger or a bowl of Christmas oranges on the kitchen counter top. A visit to your favorite fabric store will reveal great tangerine silks, taffeta and linens-could there be new drapery or a re-upholstery project in the future?
What other hues pair well with Tangerine you ask? I adore tangerine with jewel tones such as peacock blue or a seductive colour palette theme of tangerine, ruby and regal purples and it absolutely works with our beloved neutrals: taupe, brown, grays and charcoals. It’s important to also note that Tangerine does not have any style prejudices and in-fact will work brilliantly with modern décor as it will work with country, traditional and even the eclectically designed space.
Now as you help yourself to one of those infamous sweet little oranges ponder its colour on a few of your walls- I think you’ll agree – delicious!! I’ve said this before but it’s worth saying again “never bring a colour home that you don’t adore”. All colours have many different shades and while I really adore tangerine I personally, have absolutely no use for a pale peach. Moral of this statement is that if tangerine is not a favorite colour of yours then leave it alone. Institutions like Pantone pick ‘color’s of the year’ for a reason – to stimulate people’s use of color, to provoke people to step out of their neutral comfort zone and to comment on the current state of affairs and how our society interacts and is influenced by color itself. Not attracted to tangerine? We have a few million other shades we can choose from. Happy New Year everyone, lets all vow to decorate and live fabulously in 2012.
WEEKEND PROJECT
Fabulous art pieces to hang on your walls can be an expensive challenge, especially when we are on our after Christmas budget. I love giant canvases but they can get pricey if you are looking to buy a piece from a gallery or decorator store. Save your pennies and even if you think you have no artistic talents I assure you that you can create a fabulous painting that will look as if you bought it from a high end gallery. Go to the local art supply store- if there is one on campus go here as I find their prices are often the best. Purchase a large pre-stretched canvas and some paints. When you get home paint the entire canvas the colour that you want or leave it white. Wait for that paint to dry thoroughly. Now using a misting bottle wet the canvas and stand it upright. Using artist tube acrylics drip some paint from the top of the canvas down, you may need to add a little more water at times or simply give the dripping colour a little help from the spray bottle. Add the next colour and so on until you have an amazing piece of art for a few hundred dollars to hang on the wall.
