Jacquie Severs

In yesterday's post I mentioned that sometimes in home decor, a trend will stick around forever. Or, what seems like forever. Using the below mood board to illustrate, I'll explain the importance of an evolving colour palette.
 First, check out what I've called "Fresh Picked Lipstick". (Click to see full size.)

For the past few years a particular lime green colour has been very popular. For the most part it has been paired with an equally bright, though less neon, pale pink colour, what I would call bubblegum. I think designers in my industry have had about enough of it, but consumers haven't, and are still buying this colour pairing.

Add to that the way that products are purchased - in bulk, and it means that companies still have stock of some green items and the sales aren't exactly booming the way they once were.

The best solution for this problem is to create an evolved colour palette using this same foundation (pink and green) and add some new tones to it to give it a fresh appearance. That's what I've done here.

By adding a hot pink, burgundy and grape tone to the pink palette, I effectively neutralize the bubblegum feel. The range of tones (that really plays on the "Red and Pink" vibration) creates a more sophisticated feeling. In addition, I've split the lime green in two - a greenish lemon faces off with a fresh cadmium green, and I've placed it on a neutral base including a stone grey to further break up the visual effect of the pink and green together, removing some of the hyper-feminine feeling and giving it a more timeless appearance.

 The whole palette is best exemplified with the floral fabric swatch below the computer. You could imagine in your mind how a handbag in this fabric could be merchandised alongside last year's pink accessories and the previous year's green glass vases, effectively tying it all together in a fresh new way.