How to decorate with Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2023

Love the bold vibrancy of Viva Magenta but not sure how to incorporate it into your colour scheme? Read on for our top tips on using this luscious shade in your home.

With sleepy January behind us and 2023 now in full swing, it’s a great time to experiment with décor styles and introduce new colours into your home. And what better way to do that than with Viva Magenta, Pantone’s Colour of the Year for 2023.

Reminiscent of rich floral reds and juicy jewel-toned fruits found in nature, and standing out as an exuberant expression of joy, it’s not hard to see why Viva Magenta came out as the winner. So, here’s how you can capture the joie de vivre of Viva Magenta around your home.

Loud and proud as a feature wall

Go big or go home as they say, and that’s certainly one way of approaching this powerful colour. If your room is need of a serious injection of colour, and you’re not one to shy away from a bold statement, a feature wall is a great place to start. A wall hit by natural light will see the magenta change beautifully throughout the day, from a delicious dark crimson to a fiery pink. Alternatively, using the colour on a wall in shadow will create a feeling of warmth and opulence.

Experiment with textures

Viva Magenta is a shade that also lends itself beautifully to textures. Using different textures to add depth and interest to a space has been a rising practice over the past few years, from the natural linens and boucles of mid-century modern, to the fun furs and tactile fabrics of dopamine décor. Use Viva Magenta in velvet to create the feeling of ultimate indulgence, in wool for vibrant cosiness, or even in coloured glass for a beautiful rosy glow.

Introduce it into patterns

If you love the feeling created by warm reds such as Viva Magenta, but aren’t sold on fully committing to the colour, a pattern can be a great way to introduce the shade without it feeling overwhelming. Search out wallpapers, rugs, prints and bedspreads that incorporate the bold hue – you’ll find it in plenty of floral patterns. You could then use the other colours in those patterns – perhaps paler pinks or warm oranges – to inform other decorative choices in the room, ending up with a gorgeous cohesive effect that still contains a nod to Viva Magenta.

Paired with neutral tones…

Bold, vibrant colours aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and there is a lot to be said for the calming properties of a neutral palette. But if you feel Viva Magenta could make for a good foray into bolder colours, you’ll be pleased to know it pairs beautifully with natural, pale shades. It comes to life against a crisp white, and creates a great contemporary feel when paired with greys. With the right tone of pale pink it becomes soft and romantic, and earthy sands really bring out the red.

…or bold colours to amp it up!

For those who aren’t afraid to let loose when it comes to colours, Viva Magenta presents a whole world of combinations to try. Magenta is directly opposite green on the colour wheel, meaning the two are complementary colours that will always look great together. Leafy plants will look fantastic against it, and jade greens and teals will glow brighter than ever. You could use the deep reds, oranges and purples that appear next to magenta on the colour wheel to create sumptuous warmth, or go all out with yellows and limes for an exhilarating and contemporary look.

(Image credit: @ourhouseatnumber27)

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