Enchanting Pastels

By Chirag Sharma

Photography: Courtesy World Wide Web

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As heat and humidity builds, ushering in warm sunny days, our lifestyles undergo nuanced changes – colour preferences being predominant. With colour as the ultimate mood maker, here are some handy tips to enchanting pastels in a chic ambience...

When we talk décor in the summer, we talk pastels. The hushed hues pale fawns, musty whites, peaches and pinks, sea green and gray begin to find place in soft furnishings like loose covers, throw cushions, bedspreads, etc. Your drapes are preferred in the palest of peaches and the mooniest of whites…  

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The idea is to incorporate pastel colours in unique ways, where while certain shades blend with each other like lilacs, pinks and grays; others would stand out rather robustly. 

However, pitched against a pale background, all pastels assume an interesting luminosity and just as any colour application is guided by the distinct factors that influence their individual application in correlation to their surroundings, pastel shades too need to be carefully applied. 

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Spot pointers on the application of pastels:

• Dark furniture is best highlighted against a pastel backdrop.
• A poorly illuminated room can light up to an airy, spacious look with pastels.
• Similarly, they unify a large space.
• To project a sedate, welcoming, classy ambience - off-whites, soft earthy tones, and pastels are best recommended.
• Adult bedrooms generally order a more serene, tranquil ambience. Cool blues, refreshing greens, pale pinks and neutrals are often the chosen colours here.
• Remember, pastels do not create an optical illusion of any kind. They are just there; hence, they can be combined with dark shades and with neutrals with ease.  

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Spot pointers on the choice of pastel shades:

• Several shades of pink and lilac, sea green, apple green, peach, crème, yellow and all the neutrals make striking combinations in their lighter hues.
• Soft variations in a single pastel shade can make a marked contribution to any style of décor.
• Different shades of pastel colours can be randomly mixed – they tend to blend naturally with each other.
• When complimented with white, pastel shades tend to stand out remarkably.  

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Handy tips:

• Take care not to apply such shades in passages – especially near a shoe rack; kitchens – especially near the sink; and such other areas, which are subject to a lot of wear- n-tear.
• Generally, mild textures can be achieved with a pastel shade.
• Avoid use of pastels where sunlight is direct. The colour tends to appear faded.
• While cleaning a pastel wall, take care to first dry wipe the area – even small specks of dirt can leave behind a dirty trail.

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