#DECORATING—ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK?

Turn on any decorating show these days, and you’ll see a preponderance of orange used in everything from accent walls to throwpillows to bric-a-brac. Orange is the go-to color on Property Brothers, Flip or Flop, Love It or List It, and just about every other show on HGTV and the DIY network. More often than not, it’s paired with turquoise. 

Really? Orange and turquoise? I look at that color combination and all I can think of is Howard Johnson’s! Instead of complementing each other, they scream discordance to me. I must be in the minority, though, because these days orange and turquoise are everywhere from the big box stores to the high-end specialty home decor stores.

2016 Colors of the Year--Rose Quartz and Serenity

Interestingly enough, the colors of the year for 2016 are not orange and turquoise. Nor were they the colors of the year for 2015. This year for the first time, the Color Institute chose two colors—Rose Quartz and Serenity. In layman terms that’s baby pink and baby blue. Not exactly orange and turquoise, right?

Last year’s Color of the Year was Marsala, a rich wine color. Again, far removed and a much more sophisticated color than orange.

So why are decorators jumping on the orange bandwagon in opposition to the pronouncements of the Color Institute? I have no idea. All I know is that I’m anxiously awaiting the end of the orange trend. I’m not about to decorate my home like a nursery, but I also refuse to have it looking like a chain restaurant.

How do you feel about orange? And even if you like the color, would you decorate with it and pair it with turquoise?