PRETTY IN PEACH
Designers predict a rosy and inviting 2024 with their colour of the year
THE race has begun to forecast the colours that will rule the world of interior decor in 2024. Leading the field is the shade tipped by the globally influential US colour consultancy Pantone — peach fuzz.
This ‘velvety gentle peach has an all-embracing spirit that enriches heart, mind, and body’, according to Pantone’s analysts. They also contend this rich blend of rose pink and coral caters for ‘our need for nurturing, empathy and compassion’ at a time of turmoil.
You may not be persuaded any colour has such powers. But the Pantone choice confirms that fashion for pink and allied shades, including amber and plum, is gathering yet more strength, since it allows for evolution rather than revolution.
This is ideal during a period when people want to bring more ease and glamour into their homes, but are unable to stretch to an expensive renovation.
The economic outlook is beginning to look a little rosier — and the future may be peach fuzz because it brings what Shelley Cochrane, of Furniture Village, calls ‘sophisticated warmth’.
It also forms a flattering background, an aspect of interior styling that is often forgotten. For this reason, it has already begun to be used in high-end interiors.
Jane Landino, of London interior designers Taylor Howes, an early peach fuzz adopter, says: ‘This shade is soft and easy, but also rich and inviting. It also gives such a glow to a room — which is why we integrated it into many of our schemes last year. I defy anyone not to look good in the light that it exudes.’
Nicky Haslam, the society interior decorator, may be better known for his lists of what’s common and what’s not, but he is also celebrated for his flair for creating rooms that actually make people seem more attractive.
It is a trick he pulls off by painting the walls in an Elastoplast-like combination of pink and orange — peach fuzz, by any other name. He recently told House & Garden: ‘Paint the inside pink and everyone will look prettier.’
If you are interested in testing the Haslam thesis, Lick’s Orange paint is described as ‘peach fuzz orange with a hint of yellow’. Dulux’s Boho Blush is another option. If you want to venture into wallpaper, the Tropical Haze mural from Wallsauce has a 19th-century print-type pattern against a peach fuzz background, bringing together the vogue for Victoriana and the colour of 2024.
But peach fuzz and its variants will not only confer beauty on the occupants, it can also serve as a neutral. Cochrane says: ‘It’s not a challenging colour: it will complement earthy tones like browns and olive greens, or add depth to darker hues like plum or magenta.’ Lena Gierasinska, of Barker and Stonehouse, thinks that some people will indulge in the full peach fuzz experience by opting for chairs or sofas, drawn by the mix of cosy and luxurious. But she suggests that a peach fuzz rug could make a hallway seem much more inviting, while cushions and vases would serve as a nod to the trend. You can find occasional chairs with velvet upholstery in pinkypeachy tones for €520 at Graham & Green (grahamandgreen. co.uk), and for €445 at PIB Paris (pib-home.co.uk). PIB Paris’ plushy Barnolomeo button-back chair in soft coral velvet has gorgeous retro white piping. If you prefer the early 20th century abstract sculpture look, Michael Murphy has a small peach Feya vase for €55 (michaelmurphy ie). Quite a number of stores have cushion covers in sumptuous velvet peach including a patterned one from H&M (€19.99 hm.com), while Ikea’s selection includes a peachy pink in the Sanela range for just €7 for a square shape and €6 for the oblong version. As the Christmas decorations come down, households will begin to discuss how they plan to refresh their decor. Peach fuzz may seem to some the breath of spring for which they are longing in the January chill.