Bright Pink Home Decor

It's time to break out a riot of color to show you some inspiration for decorating with bright pink! My last post was about Decorating with Light Pink so now we will ramp up the color level and show that although decorating with bright pink needs some thought, it is actually adaptable for many different spaces and styles of home decor.

Let's start with the maximum wow factor! This bright pink and gold room is in the Palais de Compiègne about 50 miles from Paris.

Pink Decor for Your Palace

The royal and imperial palace  was built by Louis XV and Louis XVI, and remodeled by both Napoleon I and Napoleon III. None of those guys was shy about showing off and the Palais de Compiègne was a center of power and court life. Although the decor here is probably too extravagant for most of us -- and who has such high ceilings and amazing architectural details anyway? -- there are some lessons to be learned about decorating with bright pink from this classic room. First, the tidy, formal symmetry helps contain the exuberance of the color. The gold and the white also punctuates the color to give it form.  The pattern on the upholstery also breaks up the solid color a little.

Traditional Pink Home Decor

Here's the updated 21st century version of that pink home decor look! This photo from Traditional Home magazine shows how you can translate the French palace grandeur to your own home. It shows designer Robin Weiss and husband Bill's Palm Beach vacation home. You'll notice the same sense of symmetry as the French palace and the same use of white and gold, although with a greater emphasis on white rather than gold. This gives a lovely fresh look while still keeping the nobility with the gold mirror. There is also an ornate chandelier and two wall candelabra, which are important to show that yes, we really do want a sense of flamboyance! With this much bright pink, you don't want to pull your punches or try to squash the energy by playing safe with too small or too ordinary light fittings. The textured floor covering helps ground it all too, and it adds a contemporary touch.

Another way to use strong pinks is in textiles and in decorative wallpaper. This photo shows the Leicester Room at Chatsworth House in England, home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and passed down through 16 generations of the Cavendish family. The 1830s Chinese paper on the walls shows how a fairly bright pink can look fabulous when it has a surface design on it to break up the color intensity.

Modern Pink

Here's the 21st century version, showing how to update the strong pink wallpaper look. The Balata wallpaper in this dining room in Boston is accented by white, gold and a crystal chandelier. This combo always helps lighten up the intensity of a deep pink while keeping true to the spirit of the color!

If you want to try using bright pink in a more restrained way, check out this gorgeous home in Atlanta which uses a bold pink textured wall covering as a feature wall. The color on the far wall creates depth and visual interest for this room, which might otherwise seem rather one-dimensional, despite the many patterned surfaces.  Again, white and gold are the major colors paired with the pink, so I think we are getting some good pointers about smart ways to plan our bright pink decor!

Another easy way to add bright pink is with accent furniture, such as this lovely new French Heritage pink nightstand.

The maple bedside table or 3-drawer chest has brass handles and cute castors to make it easy to move around. The strong raspberry pink trim on the nightstand makes it stand out and add a dash of color to a bedroom.

Have you decorated with bright pink in your home? We'd love to see photographs or hear how you use this gorgeous and uplifting shade!