Colour of the month for May–{pink}

Here we are in May, one of my favourite months!  I love the first blush of spring, the “spring” of new growth from the ground, the beginnings of a season’s worth of natures beauty! 

May is also a significant month in my life – I married in May – 30 years ago to be precise (yikes!) – our youngest daughter was born in May – 25 years ago (yikes squared!) and this year I will celebrate 35 years of employment (yep – yikes cubed!).  So, yes, a significant month!

If any of you follow me on Pinterest or have looked through my ideabooks on Houzz, you’ve probably already guessed what the colour of the month for May is – PINK!  I’ve chosen pink for May because I see it as representing the promise of new beginnings and growth.  It has a freshness and newness about it. 

 

Source: google.nl via Donna on Pinterest

Pink is naive, pink is delicate, pink is new.

Source: theoldpaintedcottage.com via Donna on Pinterest

The colour pink is derived from the name of a flower called pinks or dianthus (carnation).  It comes from the frilly edges of the flowers.

The word pink has been used in many ways over the centuries –

• in the 14th century it meant “to decorate with a perforated or punched pattern” – think “pinking shears”. 
• in colour it was actually used in the 17th century to describe a yellowish colour
• it has been strongly associated with girls and femininity as far back as mid-19th century
• the pink ribbon is the international symbol for Breast Cancer awareness

In the natural world, it is the most common colour of pigs and “white” elephants are actually pink.  The “pink” flamingo is probably the worlds best known pink bird and gets its colour from it’s diet.

In 1968, Mary Kay Ash – ‘the’ Mary Kay, bought the very first Pink Cadillac, which became her company’s trademark

 

When my daughters were growing up I admit they had their fair share of mom imposed pink, although neither of their rooms were ever painted that colour – I preferred to keep it to their clothing.  My youngest daughter, in her teens, even went as far as to dye her hair pink – kind of like this:

Source: laceandtea.com via Donna on Pinterest

This was more for effect that it was for the love of the colour pink, me thinks :).  I was willing to go along though – it’s only hair after all – and it looked kinda cool to tell the truth.

Now lets have a look using pink in interiors.  Pink seems to have a connotation when used in interiors.  It reads very feminine, especially the soft pinks like these:

eclectic living room design by atlanta interior designer Dillard Design Group, LLC

 

spaces design

 

traditional kids design by new york interior designer Tiffany Eastman Interiors, LLC

The deeper shades seem more dramatic and playful, less girly:

Source: tumblr.com via Donna on Pinterest

 

Source: cococozy.com via Donna on Pinterest

Here are some rooms that use pink in a balanced combination with other colours:

 

traditional bedroom design by new york architect CWB Architects

Source: Uploaded by user via Donna on Pinterest

Source: sweethomestyle.tumblr.com via Donna on Pinterest

I like using pink as an accent colour as shown in these rooms:

eclectic living room design by san francisco media and blogs SFGIRLBYBAY

eclectic bedroom design by media and blogs Dreamy Whites

traditional living room design by los angeles interior designer Emily Ruddo

eclectic home office design by san francisco photographer Ed Ritger Photography

So what do you think?  Have you used pink in your home?  If so, how and where?

 

 

Now for one last one.  As I mentioned above, this month DH and I celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.  Here’s a hint about what we are doing to celebrate …

 

Source: laceandtea.com via Donna on Pinterest

I am over the moon excited and cannot wait to tell you all about our most exciting adventure … but you’ll have to wait until I get back … and sort through a gazillion pictures.

 

À bientôt chers amies