Home interiors are taking color cues from pop star Prince, the king of purple, this season. The royal hue is popping up on walls, textiles and tabletops, in shades from deep aubergine to lilac pink.
“Purples, especially red-cast purples, are going to be important in 2009,” said forecaster Michelle Lamb, editorial director for The Trend Curve.
“I’m seeing dark, passionate plums, used along with black, and layered purples. It’s a feeling of luxe. Think purple velvet.”
The fashion world is pulling out the plums, with violet and eggplant gowns showing up on runways, and home decor, which used to lag behind apparel, is now keeping pace, Lamb said.
“The purples and plums are definitely coming,” said Amy Kos of Amy Kos Interiors. Deep, dramatic shades are showing up in vintage Far East-inspired floral patterns, paired with tone-on-tone neutrals for a modern interpretation.
Purple also is adding pizazz to table linens, said New York-based Kim Seybert, a women’s apparel-turned-tabletop designer. Her fashion-inspired creations include purple ombre place mats and double-sided, bias-cut napkins, in silk shantung and peau de soie, for a two-tone violet effect.
Many traditional china patterns include plum, she noted, and accenting them with vibrant violet gives Grandma’s dishes a sophisticated new look.
And expect to see a lot of plum this holiday season, as an alternative to traditional red and green.
“Purple has a rich holiday feel to it,” Seybert said. “It’s a perfect way to update your Christmas table.”
