Red is the New Black
08/12/2006 10:15 AM by Gretchen Schauffler
In the fall preview issue of “Vogue” magazine, the headline reads, “Red is the New Black.” There you have it. Just when you think a color is passe, the ones who foresee the color future give you another opportunity to view a color of the rainbow in a whole new way.
The color red is shown on a familiar supermodel in variations of itself with gray, white, black and print. There’s French Revolution red and a lot of red shades that point to burgundy. Yes, burgundy, the red that saturated and dominated the 80s. ln Devine Color’s timeless and trend-proof world, it is Devine Bordeaux, Cabernet or Damask. Now that is reappearing in leather accessories, with a hint of pink, can mauve be far behind?
I love it that red is becoming a basic. It’s almost as dependable as green, and somehow we are coming to accept it without sirens going off for fire engines. In homes, red is still mostly used with yellows and greens, a traditional mix, or casually with denim. “Vogue” gives us a sophisticated approach with combinations that could translate into stunning relationships for a home. The idea of red with charcoal and caramel shades is a great one.
I think mauve will return, too. So I want to hear about your mauve stories. In my book, I ask, “Where have all the mauve people gone?” Well, where are you? You are the ones who loved the color for towels, maybe for dishes, carpeting, and perhaps for a chair or recliner. Would you love it again? ln Devine’s trend-proof color palettes, check out Devine Canyon, Brick, Pebble, Twilight, and Shiraz.
Gretchen Schauffler
Artist and Founder of Devine Color®
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mauve is a great choice for those who are intimidated by color. let’s face it- it was the 80’s pick to replace beige. it has been paired with gray, sage green and cornflower blue, all of which are perfect if the effect you want to create is one of narcolepsy. as an interior designer, i would like to see some real strides made with mauve. for instance ,how about pairing it a chocolate brown for those who want a trend, or even camel and a rich peacock blue for those with a flair for the dramatic. use it as an accent in fabrics or on a wall, perhaps a powder bath, for pinks of any shade tend to wear thin after a while
— nicole 08/17/2006 10:09 PM #
Mauve person here! The walls in my living room are a midtone mauve (not pinky like 1980s mauve though, much like Devine Twilight), combined with eggplant, forest green, deep reddish brown, amber, aged copper. Even people who claim to “hate purple” love being in my living room, they describe it as cozy and interesting. I’ve had the wall color up for two years and I still stand in the middle of the room sometimes and say “wow, I really love this room!”
I see a trend and run screaming in the other direction, so I don’t care if mauve ever comes back. I kind of hope it doesn’t.
— Mari 09/07/2006 08:07 PM #
The real question, as a former mauve person, is how long should enjoy a color before you have to change your mauve drapes, just as mauve is coming back in. No matter how much you liked it in the past it still has to go and I think you should let it go without doubting. Explore without guilt other colors.
— Debbie 10/28/2007 07:01 PM #
Debbie:
I am writing a blog on this very subject as we speak. I thought the answer deserved to be a long one…
Thanks for asking a very thought-provoking question!
— gretchen Schauffler 10/31/2007 09:45 AM #