All Things Purple in Home Decor

Mauve, violet, and lavender- It's a strange thing about the color purple.  Aside from a few fleeting moments like a sunrise or sunset, or a perennial garden, it's appearance is fairly rare in our daily lives. Oh yes there are a few fruits and veggies, hence the favorite shades of plum, grape and aubergine (eggplant). And then there's the gem  amethyst, which of course we only see in small doses.  Unlike the omnipresent blue or green of planet earth, it's probably most familiar in a box of crayolas and easy to see how it becomes a child favorite or an artist's passion. But my point here is how we use it in home decor. I love the way the color is so easily associated with decorative genres by just how we mix it up with other colors. So here's my interpretation on purple-ish motifs and how they affect interior design.

Take for example the lighter hues like mauve and lilac. Put them together with silver and white and you instantly get a modern motif. Go a step further and throw in some cinnamon brown to create something even more modern. If you substitute the white with black you're approaching Art Deco territory. On the flip side, antiquity reigns when we delve into saturated sorts like red or blue violet paired with golden hues (purple's color wheel complement). Here it captures the feeling of something classic, baroque or majestic. Intricate tapestries, brocades and luxurious fabrics like velvet and silk all come to mind. Think pageantry and Mardi Gras (yes, purple loves a parade).

Just about any shade of purple with a mix of soft pastels offers a French impressionist flavor, a taste of country decor for rural abodes. Plaid, floral and paisley prints sprinkled with shades of lilac and touches of sage or mossy green conjure up a spring time mood.

And finally there are the vibrant purples that take a spot with feisty shades of turquoise, red or lime green. These color palettes follow the fashion trends of the clothing industry that eventually spill into home furnishings. Young, hot and stylish, they are the color schemes that dominate contemporary decor and sure to pop up in tiles, fabrics and wall coverings.