Pastelise it in pink and blue

The brightest colours of a palette are not just for little girls and boys. Carol O’Callaghan shows how to home in on colour.

Remember when pastels were simply pink for girls and blue for boys? Well, things have moved on as the development of new interior trends continues relentlessly, including the selection of pastels applied outside of the nursery.

These baby soft hues work brilliantly alongside dark colours, giving depth and diluting the flatness of darker shades. This season the emphasis is on pink, with applications that won’t produce the Barbie look so beloved of girls under 10.

Paint application is an opportunity to experiment with pastel and create a chic interior if combined with other colours. Try two walls in pastel pink and the other two in grey. Return to the fashion of the late ’90s, (that works so well with pastels), and use two different tones divided by a dado rail, with pink on top and pale lilac, which is the pastel of purple.

A stark white interior is made warm and inviting with pastel pink in vases and upholstery pattern, linking it to a crushed raspberry sofa and a contrasting teal rug (sofa €1,169, rocking chair €779, footstool €389 from the Candy Collection at DFS)

Opting for all-pink walls creates a light and airy effect. If furnishings and accessories are in whites and creams with pale woods, it makes for a lovely relaxing aesthetic.

But if you have the tastes of those living with you to consider, and some are male, you need to anchor your pastel pink with other colours. Black, or grey/black, is a wonderful counterpoint, but go easy on its use and keep strong colour to the detailing in a room or else it will drown pastel. If you have a lovely old, black cast-iron fireplace you can have great fun accessorising the mantelpiece and chimney breast to link the pink and dark hues together.

A small vase of fresh flowers or simple green stems from the garden is essential for softness and texture, with wooden framed photos or glass objects of varying heights. Coloured glass is very popular this year, so add a vase or ornament in a deeper pink to pick up the wall colour.

Opt for a silver-framed mirror on the chimney breast or a trio of prints or photographs with a white mount and slim black frames.

More than one pastel can be introduced in linens and soft furnishings for a feminine aesthetic, but without creating the dolly mixture effect (Vintage Collage bed linen from €29.95 at Harvey Norman)

Consider a statement piece of furniture in pastel pink, but unless you have removable and washable covers it’s probably unsuitable for a house where the little sticky-fingered reside. Something in a deeper pink or a pastel-based pattern would be more forgiving and still give you the look.

If you’re not quite ready to plunge into pastel pink in a substantial way but would like to experiment, test it out with items that are wallet-friendly and easy to replace if it doesn’t work for you — like our interior design best friend, the cushion.

Opt for patterns with pink tones or contrasting colour. A change of bed linen can have dramatic impact on a bedroom, so consider the effect you want to achieve. For a chic finish choose gleaming white sheets and pillowcases, warming them up with a pink-detailed bed spread or duvet.

Continue the theme in the bathroom with pale pink towels or white with a pink border detail.

For a little fun in the kitchen, small appliances like food mixers and kettles and toasters now come in pastels — but don’t overdo it or you’ll end up with a twee dolly mixture effect.

Next week we’re entertaining in the smaller home.

Pastel Pleasures

The pouffe is a useful little item for comfortable, low-level sitting, and is happily back in fashion. Designer Simon Legald’s version, for Danish design house, Normann Copenhagen, is modern, but draws on traditional Moroccan pillows, and with a tight shape and yielding surface for comfort.

Available in red, grey, blue and green at The Old Mill Stores, or Lost Weekend, from €400.

Give your plain, white towels a lift with a pink, floral border (from €3 at Heatons)

Use this classic pink vase for flowers, or place it beside the cooker for spatulas and wooden spoons (€21.95 at Harvey Norman)

Strew these little lovelies on your boudoir bed (from Penny’s, €4 each).

For visual impact, try a watercolour print, Coral cushion (approx.€80 at www.amy-sia.com).

Perch this pink beauty on the mantelpiece, or add a single, white bloom for texture (€20 at Debenhams).

Lucky enough to own a cast iron bath? Try pink. (Rose Blush bath €1,100 from The Cast Iron Bath Company)

Keep your options open with the double sided Paisley pillowcase (€10 from CDE at Dunnes Stores)

Top Image: The pink Nemo love seat adds a pop of colour to brighten up a clean interior style. (Nemo love seat €995 at Casey’s Furniture)