Decorating with Pinks
A glorious Plain Sweet Pea sofa in my daughter Rose’s studio.
The Pinks Of Spring.
Table of Contents
As blossom starts to reappear to brighten up our year, we are reminded that in an ever-changing world, nature will always be a source of comfort for many of us
Blossom is one of the first signs that spring has well and truly arrived, and is a welcome sight of colour after the frosty winter months. From the pinker hues to the cloudy white, these delicate blossoms are a joyful sight and a reminder that warmer days are on their way.
Blossom is not only beautiful to look at, it also supports a variety of wildlife. It provides a vital habitat for bees and badgers: an abundance of fauna thrives on it. Bees seek pollen from wild cherry and apple blossoms. Caterpillars and butterflies love the leaves of goat willow and elderflower blossoms. Song thrushes and blackbirds eat the fruit produced by the trees and hunt for insects among the blossom. Badgers, mice, voles and foxes eat the fruit that falls to the ground.
Cherry blossom: many garden varieties are of Japanese origin, known as the Sakura or Village cherries. The British Isles has just two native species: bird cherry and wild cherry or gean. Wild cherry is often seen in woodlands where its brilliant flowers light up the canopy. Cherry blossom is best seen during March, April and some varieties in May.
Decorating with Pink in our Homes
Inside our houses the colour pink represents compassion and love; it relates to understanding, and to the giving and receiving of nurturing.
Pink calms and reassures our emotional energies, alleviating feelings of anger, aggression, even resentment, abandonment and neglect…wow…the power of colour!
Red and white are enough to make a basic pink, blue or yellow can be added to make the pink more purplish or peachy and adding grey will give you more dusky pink.
In colour theory, a tint is a mixture of a colour with white, which increases lightness, while a shade is a mixture with black, which increases darkness. Meanwhile, the term tint can be generalized to refer to any lighter or darker variation of a colour.
SWEET PEA
This is a stunning shade of pink – a clean and bright fuchsia.
What colours go well with Sweet Pea?
On the colour wheel, green is pink’s exact opposite and is its perfect complementary colour: when placed side by side, they create balance and harmony; see Kale and Lime. It also looks lovely with greys: Charcoal, Dove, Clay
Suggested coordinating fabrics are:
Pretty Maids – Lime, Winter
Pretty Maids – Clay, Sweet Pea
Stockholm Stripe – Clay, Sweet Pea
Stockholm Stripe – Sweet Pea, Winter / Pretty Maids – Sweet Pea, Winter / Plain Linen – Sweet Pea
Baltic Stripe – Sweet Pea, Lime / Simple Ticking Detail – Sweet Pea / Baltic Stripe – Clay, Sweet Pea
LEFT: Lime and Sweet Pea together in this Swedish dining room.
MIDDLE: Sweet Pea Pretty Maids and Stockholm Stripe, with Charcoal grey walls, Scree by Little Greene.
RIGHT: Lime Green walls (Boxington by Little Greene) set off this stunning sofa in Plain Linen Union – Sweet Pea.
LEFT: A modern sofa in Rose’s artist studio. The cushion in Origami in Charcoal & Indigo.
MIDDLE: Soft blue-grey Clay sitting prettily here in this cloakroom with Sweet Pea.
RIGHT: Orange and pink are a vibrant partnership. This quilt is made from Simple Ticking in Sweet Pea and headboard from Plain Linen Union in Sweet Pea.
LEFT: My woven linen: Baltic Stripe combines Lime green with Sweet Pea. The For the Love of Rose Wall Covering teams up Clay with Sweet Pea.
MIDDLE: More orange and pink…outside this time, surrounded by the greenery of the garden.
RIGHT: Mallow pink in Wild & Free is a softer pink than Sweet Pea. The tablecloth is made from Baltic Stripe in Clay and Sweet Pea.
Here’s more advice on decorating with stripes.
DAMSON
Damson is my most popular pink, it’s gentle and beautiful without being frumpy: a reddish pink reminiscent of tulips and rose campion. There are LOTS of fabric options here…I am very keen on this shade!
Damson works well with blues and greys as well as greens.
Suggested coordinating fabrics are:
Simple Ticking – Forget-me-not
Pretty Maids – Lime, Winter
Plain Linen Union: Teal and Cornflower
Dainty Daisy – Damson / Herbaceous Border Detail – Damson, Lily Pink, Field Green, Clay / Dainty Daisy Detail – Damson, Field Green
Leaf Dance – Damson, Charcoal / Pretty Maids – Damson, Winter / Stockholm Stripe – Damson, Scree, Winter
In Full Flight – Damson, Winter / Fruit Garden Detail – Damson, Powder Blue, Charcoal / Gypsy Garland – Damson
May Blossom – Damson / Lapland Stripe – Pigeon, Forget-me-not, Damson / Fruit Garden – Damson, Light Kale, Winter
LEFT: This dark Scree (Little Greene) wall looks dramatic with these Dainty Daisy curtains.
MIDDLE: Softest Clay grey and accents of Field Green complement the Damson in these cushions.
RIGHT: Dainty Daisy Detail curtains are so pretty with their 10cm Cottage pleat heading…
LEFT: Damson pink with mixed with Dove grey and Saffron yellow.
RIGHT: Here we have used the larger pattern of Fruit Garden on the sofas and the smaller pattern of Sepals & Petals on the curtains.
LEFT: A wonderful mixture of cushions in a pretty Wiltshire summer house; the In Full Flight is the focal point.
MIDDLE: A melee of cushions…ready for a summer picnic…
RIGHT: Here pink and yellow are teamed up. The Saffron yellow really lifts the room and prevents too much of a ‘matchy matchy’ look.
LEFT: Stunning round pouffes make this sitting room more contemporary.
MIDDLE: Wistful and gentle woven Lapland Stripe curtains combined with soft Pigeon fabrics for the upholstery.
RIGHT: This classic combination of pink and green….always a winner!
DUSKY PINK
Think old damask roses and your Granny’s sitting room. There is grey in this hue of pink, making it a timeless shade with vintage sophistication! Combine with darker cooler browns such as my Whippet, (see photo below).
Suggested coordinating fabrics are:
Stockholm Stripe – Whippet, Dusky Pink
Pretty Maids – Dusky Pink – Winter
Pretty Maids – Dove, Winter
Pretty Maids – Lime, Winter
Pretty Maids – Dusky Pink, Winter / Dawn Chorus – Dusky Pink, Winter / Dainty Daisy Detail – Dusky Pink, Kale
Up the Garden Path – Dusky Pink / Herbaceous Border Detail – Dusky Pink, Plum, Kale / For the Love of Rose – Dusky Pink, Whippet
LEFT: My Pretty Maids fabric on my useful Tub Chair.
MIDDLE: The Plain Kale edging on the Dawn Chorus curtains and Pretty Maids cushion really lift this bedroom.
RIGHT: Lime and Dusky Pink sitting happily side by side.
LEFT: Teamed up here with Plum and plain Cream linen.
MIDDLE: My Traditional Chair in the new Herbaceous Border Detail design.
RIGHT: For The Love Of Rose in Dusky Pink with Whippet brown.
SEA PINK AND LILY PINK
These are pastel pinks, pretty and feminine, like the delicate flowers of cherry and apple blossom.
Here blues and greens can be used for coordinates.
Suggested Coordinating fabrics:
Simple Ticking – Kale
Simple Ticking – Forget-me-not
Pie in the Sky – Olive, Sea Pink
Plain Linen Union – Kale
LEFT: Lazy Daisy – Cranberry, Sea Pink
MIDDLE: Four Seasons – Sea Pink, Olive
RIGHT: Herbaceous Border Detail – Damson, Lily Pink, Field Green, Clay
Branching Out – Lily Pink / Wild Fern – Lily Pink / Little Fern – Lilly Pink
A perfect example of the Moss coloured greens working well with the lighter coloured Pink in Lily.
MALLOW
A slightly brighter alternative to Lily Pink. A good complementary colour for this is my Moss green.
Suggested Coordinating fabrics:
Wild Fern – Soft Cornflower, Speedwell
Plain Linen Union – Kale and Moss
Lattice Leaf – Lily Pink, Mallow / Simple Ticking Detail – Mallow / Little Fern – Mallow
LEFT: The Lattice Leaf on my Traditional Chairs with back cushions, are the perfect accompanyment to this sitting room, mixes really well with the Indigo blues.
RIGHT: The Little Fern curtains in Mallow, although a small pattern repeat, are gorgeous against the green Fairford Sofa; look close and you can see this green on the leading edge of the curtains!
CRANBERRY
A traditional blue-pink which looks beautiful with gentle neutrals and browns such as Stone, Limestone and Mushroom.
Suggested coordinating fabrics are:
Down to Earth – Limestone, Raspberry
Stripe and Dash – Limestone, Raspberry
Plain Linen Union – Mushroom, Limestone, Duck Egg
Acorn and Leaf – Cranberry / Dandelion Trellis – Cranberry, Stone / Cow Parsley – Cranberry, Stone
LEFT: This Acorn and Leaf in Cranberry being multi directional, really work well on upholstery as it requires little pattern matching.
MIDDLE: Pigeon is a very soft green-grey and looks great with Raspberry red.
RIGHT: Cow Parsley in Cranberry with its Stone butterfly, coordinates perfectly with the Down To Earth in Limestone and Raspberry curtains.
Decorating Tips, Advice, Styles and Inspiration
Here are our design tips to help you model interiors and styles from certain colours around rooms in your home:
We sell fabrics exclusively designed by Vanessa Arbuthnott, along side small, bespoke collection of Made to Measure items which includes curtains, blinds, sofas, footstools, chairs, headboards, and quilts, all handmade specially for you by master crafts people.
