Pantone Color of the Year: Radiant Orchid

chair  //  candle  //  shoes  //  dress  //  hair pins  //  pillow  //  nail polish

Let's be real: when I first heard this was Pantone's color of the year, I actually rolled my eyes. I'm not a pink person. (Actually, I might call this a pinky-purple, but that's semantics.) I thought they should have just kept emerald green on the docket for another year, but alas, they changed it and I was sad.

And yet, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum when I started googling around for style ideas. Radiant orchid grew on me. Like a fungus. I suddenly found myself looking at all sorts of cute things that I wouldn't have normally found because I tend to write pink off as something not my taste. (When will I learn?! I think my initial dislike was more about anything replacing emerald green. It was automatically going to be stupid while I got over myself.) I decided to take this color assignment as a personal challenge: find approachable ways to use radiant orchid in real life. I say approachable because I know I'm not the only person who's leery of rocking something this bright. But seriously, if I can get down, anybody can.

My biggest recommendation is to use radiant orchid as an accent. Take a peek at this bedroom:

source

Here's the thing about using pink: it can skew kind of young. If there's too much of it, your room might end up looking like something for a kid. Which is dope if you ARE decorating for a kid, but probably not what you're after for your own space. This bedroom has the right idea: a couple of radiant orchid accent pillows, with similar pink tones showing up again in the flowers. It's the right amount of color to catch your eye. You can use the pillow/flower combination in a living room, too, or you can bring the color in with a candle, a piece of art, or a fun coffee table book.

As far as clothes are concerned, the same just-a-smidge idea applies.

blazer  //  blouse  //  jeans  //  purse  //  shoes  //  nail polish

Using radiant orchid for accessories is the easiest way to go. It'll keep you from looking like a teenager (unless you ARE a teenager, in which case, carry on) and your clothes can stay neutral--and therefore versatile. Yeah, it could be fun to get a pink blazer, but how often are you really going to wear it? And will you still want it next year? My favorite ways to follow color trends are shoes and nail polish, but you can also rock a scarf, a belt, or statement jewelry. If you do want to bust out the big guns and get radiant orchid on some actual clothing, I like the idea of a blouse or a blazer more than, say, a pair of skinny jeans.

So what do you think about radiant orchid? Are you into it? Still not sure? How would you use this color?