apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I would LOVE a pink comforter/duvet, but I simply can't find anything that's meant for grown-ups. Does anyone have suggestions?

The elaborate fabric that I had made into draperies for my den has pink in the middle of the big flowers -
http://www.fschumacher.com/search/ProductDetail.aspx?sku=173273
- so I had the draperies lined in that same hot pink.

The sofa in my den is sorta raspberry colored - the outside of those flowers - it's definitely more pink than red, especially against the green walls.

...and I just put a new set of pink sheets on my bed last nite - I enjoy the contrast with the navy draperies, ocean blue walls and blue trellis-patterned duvet in my bedroom.

pink *can* work, but it's all about the fabric choice, the shape of the piece, and what's going on in the rest of the room. it's very tricky to make it not look girly (as archaic as gendered colors may be). I'd love to see some successful examples. (the gauze plus pink in that photo pushes it past the line for me-- pretty in a hotel, but not in my home.)

i have a looooooooottttttt of pink in my place. A LOT. the spectrum for pink is like any other color. there are calming, soothing shades and there are electric, energizing shades. there are blue based shades of hot pink that are vibrant without "burning" the eye and there are shades with a yellow base that are really HOT. look at pinklovesbrown's house, she uses restful pinks that play well with light brown and uses bright orange as the energizing accent.

you can do any kind of style or room with pink, you just need to decide in advance what feeling you're going for. feel free to look around my flickr for examples: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63122153@N00/

I love pink and use it as an accent color in my home. But I think using hot pink curtains as shown in the picture above is a bad idea. I bought a pair of hot pink silk curtains from the Silk Trading Company and the hue that they projected in my bedroom in the afternoon sun was hideous. I'm talking the "Red Masque of Death" hideous.

Now I'm noticing what the curtains in the picture above are doing to the color of the wood floor. I don't think I like that.

Pink in my home...I think I might have a pink highlighter on my desk, I'm not sure.

What about the option "there's pink, but I wish there wasn't"?

All of our furniture came from loving friends and family, which means we didn't get to pick the color...and we can't afford to reupholster it. The love seat is mostly ivory color with a bit of gray, blue, and dirty pink lines throughout, but it's not that noticeable. Our swivel tub chair is very pink, though, and I'm having a hard time finding a slip cover for it. :/

Personally, I don't mind pink, though it's not my favorite color so I wouldn't choose it for my house. But if it was, I probably still wouldn't choose it (or just use it extremely sparingly) because I don't think it's fair to my husband to have a really girly looking home. He doesn't care about decor and stuff, but he does care about feeling comfortable and "at home." And I don't think girly colors and prints achieve that.

@Anokha: The Phulkari duvet cover at Anthropologie is quite lovely.

I have seen pictures of pink looking good in the home, but we have just always steered clear of pink. We are big fans of black and white, and our main color for the pops here and there is red. I guess it has just never come up for us!

http://www.makemineeclectic.wordpress.com

My bedroom is mainly green, white and black but it has a few touches of pale pink and navy. I actually commented the other day while shopping with my bf that I shouldn't get a particular decorative object in pink because then I would have too much pink in my bedroom. His response was "you have pink in there?". Guess that means I have a decent balance :-)

I like pink a lot, but not as a focal color. I use it as a complimentary color against shades of blue and green. I think reds, oranges, and pinks are the perfect foil for shades of navy, verdegris, 'spa', celedon, etc.

these are examples in my home:

shower curtain: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3443/3179909921_27c9beaef9_b.jpg

floral pillow (on couch): http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2932288530_b0610e7016_b.jpg

Rug: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2167/2305393987_7494b8ea70_o.jpg

painting (left wall): http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2932285042_deea19650c_b.jpg

I never thought that I'd be one to have pink curtains, but when I could only find beige, tan, and navy curtains to fit in my 10 foot high windows, I decided to make my own. While fabric shopping, I had burgundy or chocolate in mind, but then this quirky fun PINK fabric just popped out at me and I had to have it!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phuongxpham/2495018506/in/set-72157603892327686/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phuongxpham/2494199123/in/set-72157603892327686/

Do those swing arm type of curtain rods only work with sheers or light fabrics?

Personally, I like pink (sort of). But like plaid, less is more. Pink is one of those colors I could wear (maybe in the spring), but it's never a color I'd want to see day-in-day-out all over my home.

I love pink and I don't have as much I would like in my home. Most of the pink is in my bedroom. I have a pale pink matelasse coverlet on the bed (which gets partially covered by a white duvet) and a number of pink accent pillows (which are seldom on the bed but look great when they are out). One of my sheet sets is white with a pink floral design and another is a modern, graphic pink circle design (the rest are plain white; all work well with the duvet and coverlet). I have a pink swirled murano styled glass vase holding dried pink roses and one bedside lamp has a cermaic figural base of a woman wearing a pink and yellow dress. I have several framed ACEOs (mostly collages) and many of them have pink in the compositions. I have a chaise at the foot of my bed (where one dog sleeps at night) and there is a striped pink and tan blanket draped at the foot of it (sometimes the blanket is bunched up into a nest in the middle of the chaise thanks to the dog). I have had a series of rugs (still looking for the perfect one!) in the room - mostly striped or geometric kilims in neutrals and most have had some pink in them (the current one has bold stripes including stripes in several shades of pink).

I really like the color pink and my early childhood bedroom was painted a lovely pale pink which I still remember with fondness. I enjoy seeing pink in interior design.

I used to be an anti-pink militant, but have grown to be quite fond of it. Luckily, I now have a room of my own, and have used pink in it. I know my husband would be uncomfortable with pink in the main living areas.

phuong's is an example of a not-girly pink in a modern print. very nice.

AZkathy, swing arms work with heavier curtains too. they're bolted to the wall.

anyone can work pink in if they want to. you can work it in to your taste and tolerance. just be patient. given the looks of kyle's house, you could go with really bold (either hot or cool) or you could work in a very pale pink to highlight the other colors. your use of white as a base balances your current brights very well.

A slightly tinted pink throw pillow and some faux pink roses is all the pink we have. If it was just me, I would probably add a little more - but the color pink is easily overdone.

I have a 3 yr old daughter- so of course we have pink! Her room is mostly aqua/kiwi/violet but there are a few splashes of pink here and there in her room.

I did end up getting a throw pillow for my couch that has pink in it. I have mostly chocolate, burnt orange and some sage in my living room... but I ran across a victoria hagen pillow that had pink in it that pulled it all together. I would love more pink, i just find it hard to incorporate.

I remember going with my parents to a dinner party at one of their friends' houses when I was a little girl. These people's master bedroom had pink toile wallpaper on all four walls with matching bedding. Guh.

I managed to sneak some brownish pink accents past my husband. But I'd love an all-out pink room someday.

The combination of a deep pink cushion with a strong orange cushion makes a terrific colour hit and it's not too "girly-girly". I've also mixed these two with a deep almost burgundy red, and the combination worked very well.

i wonder if bias against pink is a western - gender based - notion. in the far east and south asia men do not hate pink. it is a sacred color and the pink lotus is in some places the national flower. it features heavily in some eastern religions and is seen as a symbol of regeneration and the life cycle. don't buddhist monks wear pink robes in some countries?

try this in your bedroom: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=14075&f=31511

and search my flickr favorites for 'pink'. i've got about 500 fantastic finds in there.

Lady J--

Interesting you mention that - I believe you're right, but IMO the typical American Male aversion to pink is silly: Pink is just light red - but men have no problem wearing dark red any more than they have a problem with light blue, light green, light brown, or even light yellow...

However, I've noticed lately that there are more and more men in my office wearing pink dress shirts and/or ties that are pink or have some pink in them - and very few women wearing pink at work anymore.

I LOVE PINK: my bed headboard is in pink velvet on a wallpapered wall with pink/white roses, the rest is white veeeery white; my DD room is pink, veery pink, she likes it very much too :) And the living room is in grey/marronish, with all accent pillows in pink. Kitchen is green-pink, and guess the entry hall will have pink also, when I'll finish with it :) Flowers in the garden are pinkish, and so the garden furniture.

that is an interesting point, Lady J! I also wonder when it came about in the west (or is it mostly american?), because history is certainly full of men in pink and frills (though not so much for our puritanical founding fathers).

and yeah, bepsf, I've been noticing more guys wearing pink in the past few years, too. it used to be reserved for the preppy, (and the abnoxious frat boys with popped collars on their polo shirts), but it seems more 'average' guys are trying out the color. I'm glad because a lot of them look really great in pink (if anything, I think it highlights their masculinity). though anymore, I do feel rather self-conscious in my pink (or rather, 'dusty rose') coat because some of my friends dubbed it my 'legally blonde' coat...

I have a few pink items in my wardrobe, but as decor in my home? No freakin' way. I'm still gagging from the days I had to endure it in my bedroom as a child. Very, very rarely have I ever seen pink in an adult woman's apartment that didn't look silly and childish.

Pink and pearls. Pearls are flattering to every complexion, and pink---the right shade of pink---is too. A pale pink tablecloth reflects lovely color onto the face. A few candles, a deep red wine, some simple pasta dish, and he won't know what hit him :) or her.

Anokha, the Neiman Marcus website has some beautiful pink bedding for grownups, but the price might make you green. See also at Horchow website.

I've never really been into pink....but lately, I've seen some beautiful rooms featured that have used different shades of it successfully. I think the trick is to use a pink that is not too bright (like bubble gum or cotton candy) with a softer sophisticated hue. Maybe coral or a rose shade. When I had my powder room done, I had the ceiling painted pink. It turned out nice and is flattering when you see yourself in the mirror. :D

bepsf, that's why i think it's a western notion coming from the whole pink-for-girls/blue-for-boys tradition. males are biased against pink from the crib. it does my heart good to see so many baby rooms now that feature multiple colors for girls instead of a pink palace. the color is great, but why are people so locked into fantasy notions of little princesses? IF i had a daughter i'd want her to know the great freedom of pants (to borrow from "up a road slowly") and to get every chance to rough house as any boy. i'd insist her father teach her to fight and to play hard. people forget what a burden a pretty dress can be. you have to keep it clean, and keep your legs together. you can't do anything.

but i digress... pink is showing up on the guys more, but mostly a pastel shade. i think it's part of the preppy/hiphop vibe fostered by the hilfiger/ sean john ilk.

foodefafa, wear your coat! my trench is a ridiculously sharp hot pink/red. it turns heads EVERYWHERE. people stare at me all the time. men gush, women stumble. it's like a commercial! and the effect has not worn off in five years. other women in lighter pink coats will be high steppin' along, on top of the world, then they see mine...and deflate. that's regrettable, but funny...

do you, girl. do you.

The only pink in my home is a lone spoon rest on the kitchen counter. That's about all I can handle at this point. When I was a child, my room had so much pink. (My mother loved it; I was indifferent.) I think I've lived with my share of it for a while.

http://emblemorstain.blogspot.com

I love the pink in that picture, and I love pink incorporated in small amounts.

I clicked on the link to The Nines website and I absolutely loved the guest rooms.

Ah! Up a Road Slowly. I loved that book.

I hate pink, but I do acknowledge that there are a lot of pinks, and some are ok in their place. (I used stargazer lilies in my wedding, for example. I like pink dogwood flowers. But not pink azaleas.)

I think most people, including those of us who don't like it, could deal with pink in rooms that are mostly neutrals (having a pale pink throw pillow with beige and vanilla and carmel colors, for example.) And fuscia is fun in some circumstances. And Rose... but not Barbie pink at any place or any time!!!

I have a weakness for pink with apple green or chartruese. Which is pretty preppy and silly, but I like it, and it's fresh and spring-ish.

I also like pink with stridently Deco or Hollywood Regency furniture. A very '40s-'50s curvy channel-back couch or chaise lounge in soft pink reads luxurious to me, not nursery school. I think it could work with the dark-dark rich woods my fiance favors but he's not sold.

So put me down as wanting more than I have.

i dont have pink furniture but every appliance/tool in my kitchen is pink. for the rest of the house, i simply sneak in little pink trinkets on surfaces and include large decorative pieces (like my guatemalan tapestry) with pink accents.

In my last apartment, the kitchen was painted (an awful) pink (grayish), and had a pink shell patterned wallpaper (beige-ish). It was very pale, and I think whoever chose pink on the cabinets (original to the Victorian multi-family - also have to mention the boomerang laminate counters, even though they were bumpy and warped) could have made much better or worse decisions considering - no Pepto or very girl pink to really make it nauseously coordinated. However dingy the pink was, it made an impression on me when I moved. I liked having a pink kitchen, but not a P-I-N-K kitchen. I'm not cuckoo with small appliances and other accessories (usually an appeal from the breast cancer organizations, enabling the lust for totally pink pink pink kitchens, and other "wimmen's things"). My Franciscan "Apple" china has deep brick red apples, and my blender is candy apple red. I haven't done as much with pink here, I bought some vintage plates at the Goodwill, and had to have some mixing bowls I saw at TJ Maxx. I used to have a reddish-pink striped curtain in the kitchen as well, but I took them down and sorting out whether I need kitchen curtains at all, and also a cherries pattern contact paper on the shelves which I tired of and tore out. I plan to paint soon. I maybe can get the landlord to change out the kitchen counter that's rotted and kind of disgusting (and yellow). I more or less use pink as a starting idea, if not a theme, and use all or any colors at my will, red to begin with, but I have brought in some greens lately, mostly in glass so it's not a major focus. I have mentioned before and shall not refrain from mentioning again, my all-wall open shelving.

At aforementioned previous apartment, I also had a pink tub and toilet - and the bathroom was basically converted from nothing(?) but plumbing - in one corner of my kitchen. When I was shown the apartment, that also made an impression on me that when I was thinking of how to manage it, I misremembered the whole bathroom being totally pink. My mother had moved on with her pink bathroom to purples, so gave me all her pink towels in good condition, and I still use them here. Again with the exposed shelves, my towels and washcloths portray some kind of mix of historical towels of my life, and almost hideous and embarrassing but nicely arranged to lessen that effect (I tell myself). I like to think that they're multi-color blending with the yellowish walls and tile, and the canteloupe orange I've inserted by force (some towels, the bathmat, and major color of the shower curtain, coordinated by Target), but I'm planning on giving it all up soon and try more greens and blues in there, and get new towels that match each other.

i love pink!
my bedroom ws just painted metallic gold ceiling moldings and trim with dusty rose on the walls. i am laying in here now and am in heaven! pink can be so sexy!