Pink is definitely in

It paraded on the catwalks and is now sweeping into interiors. Gabrielle Fagan rallies support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with some hot pink buys for the home.
Undated Handout Photo of Pink La Provence bath, from £3,000 Catchpole & Rye. See PA Feature INTERIORS Pink. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Handout. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature INTERIORS Pink.Undated Handout Photo of Pink La Provence bath, from £3,000 Catchpole & Rye. See PA Feature INTERIORS Pink. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Handout. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature INTERIORS Pink.
Undated Handout Photo of Pink La Provence bath, from £3,000 Catchpole & Rye. See PA Feature INTERIORS Pink. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Handout. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature INTERIORS Pink.

With a whole variety of shades to choose from in the pink palette, it’s easy to conjure a grown-up, cheery, sophisticated or downright sexy effect for an interior.

And there couldn’t be a more appropriate time to ‘think pink’, as October is Breast Cancer Awareness month with its signature pink campaign shade.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It’s also ‘the’ hot shade of the season in the fashion world, with pink coats reportedly this autumn’s must-have garment. Where the catwalk leads, interiors always follow.

Here’s a selection of some of the prettiest pinks in town, some of which will see 10% of proceeds go to charity.

Shake up a room by creating a feature wall with a vibrant pink wallpaper or paint.

“Pink’s a complex colour which can lift a space, particularly when mixed with contrasting colours and natural materials, like wood,” says Mark Upstone, international head of display at Conran.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Softer shades can be calming, or go bold and vibrant with pops of neon pink and contrast with white and chocolate brown.”

Top tip: Use bright pinks, he suggests, for the underneath of shelves or inside cupboards to add interest. The colour works well in alcoves, in contrast with a white wall, as it reflects light and adds warmth.

Pink picks: Make a wall really dazzle with Crown Vintage Flat Matt Emulsion Paint in deep fuchsia Free Love, £18.93 for 2.5 litres, Homebase. Go tropical with Flamingo Beach Orchid Designer Wallpaper, £40 a roll, A Shade Wilder. Echo the look with a Flamingo neon pink cushion, £40, BoConcept, or add a funky floral like a pink velvet Darling Buds Cushion, £30, The French Bedroom Company. Add vibrant pops of pink with seating. A fluffy Sheepskin beanbag, £372, The Conran Shop (in stores only), or a Miss Behaving sofa, currently £1,449 in Snooze Cerise fabric, Sofa Workshop.

Give a bathroom a facelift with a pink bath, like the striking vintage-style La Provence bath, from £3,000, Catchpole & Rye. Keen DIYers could paint a bath themselves, but make sure you use specialist paint from a company such as Tubby.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pink is perfect paired with neutrals for a soft, feminine look, or a crisp clean effect which suits kitchens and bathrooms.

Lighter pinks soften a space and work well with a shabby chic decorating style, says Angela Whittaker at fabric specialists JAB Anstoetz.

“Pink’s an easy and forgiving palette to use and dusty or pale pinks are especially soft and easy to live with, creating a comfortable airy feeling to a room.”

Top tip: If you want to brighten the space a little more, she suggests picking another pastel colour as an accent and using it for a flower arrangement, artwork or cushions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pink picks: Laura Ashley has four pink papers and 10% of their sale price will go to Breakthrough Breast Cancer. One of the prettiest is the delicate Abbeville Floral Wallpaper, currently reduced from £30 a roll to £15.

Laura Ashley’s Salcott Upholstered Chair, in a pale Caitlin Coral, currently priced from £540, also sees a percentage going to charity.

A pale palette has been chosen for much of the homeware benefiting breast cancer charities. Marks & Spencer has dusky pink Luxury Egyptian Cotton Towels, from £2.50 to £24, and pastel pink Non-Iron 190 Thread Count Perfect Supima sheets, currently on sale from £8, and pillowcases from £2, with 10% going to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

There’s a retro feel and witty slogans like ‘Instead of cleaning the house I just turn off the lights’ on Debenhams’ Good Wife collection, with part of the proceeds benefiting charity. Set Of Three ‘Good Wife’ Storage Tins, £16; a cushion, £25; Think Pink Spotted ‘Home Baking’ Scented Candle, £10 each, Debenhams.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sainsbury’s Pink Heart Button Cushion, £10, is a pretty choice, as are the Primrose & Peony Heart Pomanders, £6 for set of three (in stores only), and both are supporting Breakthrough Breast Cancer.