The Color Pink – Revered and Hated. Here’s Why

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re having a terrific week. Thank you for all of the lovely birthday wishes. Cale has gone back to Western Mass, and the exterminator came for the 5th time.

So, in honor of Valentine’s Day soon approaching, this is an update of a very old post about the color pink.

 

I do realize that some love the color pink, and some hate it. This post will examine the color pink to discover why that is so and ways to incorporate the color pink in your interiors.

 

Poor Pink. It’s really not fair that such a lovely, peaceful color has received the kind of treatment it has.

 

It all begins when we are born.

If you’re a boy, you’re assigned – BLUE

And, if a girl, you’re assigned – PINK

(Remember those fraternal Pantone twin colors Rose Quartz and Serenity back in late 2015?)

So, right there, in one fell swoop, we made the color pink unacceptable for the male gender.

In reality, pink is a tint of red, so I don’t see why it can’t be a color men also like and embrace.

 

The Western Company

 

There ya go—a handsome young, blue-eyed model posing as a cowboy in a pink shirt. That works for me!

 

Still, for the majority, they wouldn’t dream of dressing their BABY boy in pink.

 

And then, there are the associations we have with some shades of pink.

 

• Bubble gum pink = cheap
• Cotton candy pink = the same thing
• Peptol Bismol pink = gastric upset

 

For these reasons and more, this is why many of us (in the US) don’t conjure up good thoughts about the color pink.

 

Europeans don’t seem to have as big a problem with the color pink. And, the British especially seem to love it, based on many walls painted pink I’ve seen.

 

For instance, Ben Pentreath of the legendary warm-dusty-pink that I think I came pretty close to matching in this post.

 

So, how can we use the color pink in our interiors so that more of us will like it?

 

What I think and what I believe is also great for all pink rooms to some extent is that there’s a masculine Yang to give pink some oomph.

 

 

Above and below from the Laurel Home Paint and Palette Collection, Benjamin Moore Opal, a beautiful, warm, pale dusty pink.

 

 

One of 40 mood boards in the Palette collection.

 

In addition, as you can see in this post, the paler, warmer pinks will appeal to more folks.

In fact, some of these are so dusty that they are veering ever so close to the legendary “pinky-beige.”

Below is an example of pinky-beige-taupe that’s beautifully done.

 

Penny Morrison via House & Garden

 

While it’s not a clear pink, I think this is a shade of pink that most won’t mind. And, I love the hunky charcoal color of the dining room walls. See how the deep color, plus the jewel-tone accents, bring life to a color that could very well not look so great.

 

There is an ancient post about rethinking pink, which you can read here.

 

And of course, much has been said about Ben Pentreath’s gorgeous living rooms with pink walls.

You can see Ben’s living room:

here, here, and here

 

But many interior designers and lifestyle mavens are embracing the color pink.

 

And it’s not just people born between 1980-2000 – aka Millennials and their favorite color – Millennial pink.

 

One who embraces the color pink in many of her interiors is Suzanne Kasler.

 

 

How charming is this, for a child’s or guest room, by Suzanne Kasler, for Ballard Designs.

 

India Hicks

You can see more of India here.

 

India Hicks, whom I was lucky to get to hear a talk several years ago, ADORES pink. But, of course, she’s British and royalty (one of Princess Di’s bridesmaids and a great, great, great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria!)

 

Jamb Fireplace Mantels – London

 

Caroline Sieber, London home library dining room

This is a whisper of pink in a mostly blue room. The paint color is probably more cream, but I love the fabric on the Roman shade.

 

Edward_Hughes_-_Juliette_Gordon_Low 1887

The color pink is frequently seen in fine art.

 

Let’s look at a detail of that dress.

And please check out the post about fireplace Mantel styling where this image was previously seen. Several beautiful photos have pink in them.

 

Pink is also a fabulous house color for doors and siding. At least it is in the south.

 

An oft-photographed door in Charleston, SC. Unfortunately, I could not find the photographer for this image.

 

Another lovely home with quite a weathered black door. But I love the classical surround, and the pink clapboard looks great!

In the Laurel Home Essential Paint Color/Paint Palette Collection, there are 9 gorgeous shades of the color pink. And there are 135 other beautiful colors—all colors by Benjamin Moore.

 

Thefullerview.Tumblr – pink peonies – via the style-cocktail

 

Below are three of the pink colors from the Laurel Home Collection.

 

You can see a room in opal here.

 

See a room with pink cloud.

 

Here’s a palette of colors with sunlit coral here.

 

You can read more about the Paint Collection here.

 

Farrow & Ball Pink Ground

designer Ben Pentreath

 

Another very pretty pink paint color is Farrow & Ball’s Pink Ground.

 

It is probably their most popular pink paint color with a lovely amount of dusty warmth.

 

Ben Pentreath, London home, Pink Ground-Farrow & Ball walls

 

 

Above is the Ringwold wallpaper we did several years ago in the stairwell and bedroom halls, below.

It’s one of my favorite wallpaper patterns. I don’t believe they stock this color any longer, and I don’t know if you can special order it.

 

Tilton Fenwick

A beautiful, soft shade of pink

We did that rug designed by Bunny Williams in this home!

We also saw this room before in this post about ceiling paint colors.

 

Finally, another designer who has a beautiful online shop is Caitlin Wilson.

Caitlin uses tons of pink, but she also loves blue and green.

Below is from a spread she had in House Beautiful in 2023

 

Caitlin Wilson pink on pink living room – House Beautiful photo: Kevin Miyazaki

 

You can see a lot more on her Instagram, here.

There’s much pink inspiration on many sites, so to give you a sampling, I created a widget with lots of beautiful home furnishings featuring the color pink.

 

Please click on any image for more information.

 

 

I hope this post gave you some good ideas for using the color pink in your rooms.

Pink can be babyish, or it can be quite a sophisticated color. It all depends on how it’s used.

 

So, for those of you non-pink lovers, how do you feel now? Please tell us in the comments.

(It’s okay if it’s not your thing.)

xo,

 

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