How to Decorate With Pantone's Color of the Year

It’s that time of year again —the new Pantone Color of the Year has been announced! Right on cue with the self-expression trend, Viva Magenta 18-1750 is a vigorous celebration of strength and color. Rooted in nature, magenta is derived from the red color family and is supposed to represent a fearlessness that expresses joy and optimism.

According to the Pantone Color Institute, "In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real. PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known."

Viva Magenta is the perfect addition to your home in the post pandemic world as it encourages courageous creativity and works well with almost any design style from mid-century modern to industrial design.

This electrifying color is the perfect way to make a stand-out statement and kick off the new year. But designing with red can be a challenge when it comes to home decor. Luckily for you, we’ve put together a guideline of our top three tips for how to decorate with this bold color of the year. 

Incorporating Viva Magenta Through Soft Materials

Roller Shades by Graber
Use this stunning statement shade in your home furnishings through window treatments, paint colors, furniture, wallpaper and throws. Viva Magenta is the perfect splash of color to complement your modern interiors —and you don't have to overwhelm your space with the color to achieve a sophisticated wash either. Simply add a deep maroon velvet throw pillow to your bedroom chaise or infuse your neutral color palette with a splash of red by adding a new magenta-inspired piece to your living room art gallery.

Using Red Tones in Your Floors

Through Carpet

Terrace Ridge in Brocade by Passages by Tigressa

Now, we know what you're thinking —red carpet's for the Met Gala. But just imagine a soft, textured carpet with a pop of Viva Magenta in your home office or your reading nook...Use imaginative expression and install a red carpet in your home, this season with our Passages by Tigressa line of products. This eco-friendly carpet is carefully crafted for appealing styling and is designing to make any space uniquely inviting. Plus, this carpet is durable with waterproof backing so you don't have to worry when you knock over your coffee on that early morning call or if your kid tracks her muddy shoes through the hall.

If you're still not sure about a Viva Magenta carpet, you can order several carpet color samples from our catalog and have them shipped directly to your home to see how they look!

Through Hardwood

Rustic River Hardwood

Marry the old with the new when you install a deep red-brown rustic wood floor in your design. This is a simple way to use a violet red undertone in your floors to bring out the color of the year without fully committing to the red theme. Rich brown hardwood with a red undertone is the ultimate compromise, as this organic color can add warmth to your living rooms and bedrooms while maintaining a traditional sense of character with seasoned, weathered planks.

Use Magenta Backsplashes

Bordeaux Trapezoid in Vivify by Daltile

Express your verve for life by using magenta backsplashes in your kitchens and baths. Since this trend originates from the digital world with Viva Magenta populating the graphic design space, it seems only fitting that we're seeing this color in geometric tiles. Varigated color in a woven pattern, this bright mosaic adds distinctive style to the wall. Available in six color blends in a pinwheel pattern.

Using Magenta in Home Design

Design by MARGARITA BRAVO  Photography by ZACH CORNWELL

Maybe you're looking to do a paint project or trying to create effortless harmony throughout all the colors in your interior design. It's all about balancing your base color —the down to earth color —with color of the year. This Margarita Bravo entryway design is the perfect example of how to do this: Bravo combines warm neutrals with bright splashes of magenta through ottomans and plants and grounds it all with a matte black metal.

Other magenta design ideas include:

• Accent walls
• Throw pillows
• Blankets
• Area rugs
• Statement furniture
• Wall art
• Floral arrangements

If you're not sold on Viva Magenta, you can always tone down the color by selecting shades or hues of magenta that are softer or easier to tie into your existing color palette. Or, check out the other color trends like Benjamin Moore's Raspberry Blush or BEHR's Blank Canvas, which are less saturated but still create that welcoming atmosphere.

Looking for more color trends? Check out our design blog and explore what our design experts have to say about the upcoming 2023 trends in our latest issue of Beautiful Design Made Simple.