I'M FEELING A LITTLE PINK TODAY

THINK PINK

Pink is a hard sell to most clients. Where a man is involved the sell can be even more difficult.. We try to hide incorporating pink into our presentations by calling it dusty rose, blush or coral, but eventually you have to come to terms with the fact pink is pink. There are a few designers who lay out a room with pink and demand the client love it.

If Jamie Drake says pink is the only color that will make a room sing, you need to believe him. His color sense to the interior design industry is as masterful as Josef Albers use of color is to the art world.

Anthony Baratta is another master of the interior design world whose sense of color is bright and joyous. He is almost solely responsible for making pink the signature of all those suburban Connecticutites out on the golf course swinging a four iron in pair of Ralph Lauren pink trousers. Here are some stories in pink.



GIRLIE PINK

When testosterone is out of the picture pink can hit the walls and the ceiling and the floors and everywhere else with wild abandon. Whether it's intrinsic or learned, little girls seem to have an affinity for pink. It's a color described by both timid and aggressive adjectives. It can by portrayed as sweet and innocent

but it can also be described as hot and sensual, not terms appropriately paired with pubescence and little girls. So why do we push this color on them.

But if you are forced to use it in your ten-year-old's suite, as long as you stay away from all those Barbie clichés, a girl's room in pink can be a thing of beauty. Try to use it sparingly with a pop here and a pop there. That way little Sarah can stretch the appeal of her room well beyond her Justin Bieber phase.

If you feel the need to fill the room with pink stay away from the themed motifs and stick to a design focusing on boldness, geometric shape, and rhythm like the striped room here where everything works and how a touch of aqua can cool off all that pink.









A PINK FOR ALL SEASONS

One can get away with pink in certain regions of the world a little easier than in some others. The warmer the climate the better those pinks seem to be tolerated. How do you think all those flamingos have been able to survive there for so long?

The tropics seem completely at ease with pink. It's a tougher sell in the north but not one that hasn't been done without success.

A rich traditional arrangement can help pull off a little pink. The traditional setting makes the pink seem elegantly regal.

By washing down the value of the pink, covering an entire sofa doesn't make the color seem over-powering. The colored water in the vases along with the flowers themselves and the throw pillows all help support the pink color thread that runs through this living room. Pairing it with a strong black also helps establish a balance in the room and neutralizing the effect.











PINK EVEN A MAN CAN APPRECIATE

Pink is a color when used in moderation even the most masculine of humans can live with it the way we did in our 30th Street condo. It may not be easy to turn the man cave into a symphony in pink but there are other tricks to getting a little pink into your living space.

One way is to pair it with a rustic envelope. This musician's atelier hints at pink by way of a very soft sell. The emphasis on comfort is evident here. Who wouldn't want to sink into that couch with their March Madness bracket in hand or sit on that slipper chair to pluck out a little Bob Dylan.

Another tack to take is to use a really rich shade of pink and put it in the library. Add some gold trim and bunch of books then get out the embroidered slippers and bottle of scotch. Liquor him up and the color won't matter.

When the lights are low and the mood is right many a manly man has allowed the boudoir to be dressed in pink. Beyond that a touch of pink here and there is a safe way to introduce a color very few people are ambivalent towards. You either love it or you hate. It's your turn to judge.













PINK GONE ALL WRONG

I try to mention the designer or source of anything I can identify that I put in the blog but here is one posting where anonymity is a better course of action. When pink goes amuck it can be a horrible thing indeed.

There are many allusions to pink that make you feel good: a child's cheek, cotton candy, or a perfect rose but there are a whole lot of additional images that give off a stomach churning reaction. Think of a Mary Kay pink Cadillac, a bowl of borsht, or Pepto-bismol.

To protect their reputations I'll leave off their names but these spaces would make even Dame Edna reach for the Pepto with vodka chaser.















THE GALLERY

Ueito, Tokyo, 2010
Christian Houge, Photographer
Represented by Ellen K. (post@ellen-k.no) Oslo, Norway