Life "en rose": from the outfit to the home, the colour of love

The colour pink has come into the limelight in fashion and the most refined looks only in the 2000s. Before then, pink was an unloved and hardly ever worn colour, snubbed by fashion designers, that did not make it into the canon of fashion and was hardly ever seen on the catwalks of the Milan fashion week or in Paris. In other words, pink was a colour that did not belong to western culture.

On the contrary, before the start of the new millennium, pink was already very popular and appreciated in oriental cultures: in China and Thailand, for instance, all shades of pink were worn, it could be found in clothes as well as in all items for the home, from wallpaper to furnishing accessories – in general, pink was the favourite colour of most women in oriental countries. It is also often found in Japanese manga, in 80s cartoons, where girls often not only wore pink clothes but also sported pink hair.

Pink, what a nice discovery

In any culture, colours often have different meanings and are associated to different occasions and festivities. Also in everyday life, their use changes, and while white cars were an exclusive of Arab countries and yellow taxis were typically American, pink was an Oriental exclusive. However, in the last 20 years, cultures have gradually moved ever closer, the mixing and cross-fertilisation of styles has been predominant in virtually all sectors, society has become ever more multi-cultural and multi-ethnic and thus, we have come out of the box and have learned to know and love even such alien colours. Over time, pink has slowly become part of our culture and our tastes as well.

These days, pink is everywhere, it is a lively and sparkling colour, a perfect colour for your outfit if you wish to show off, ideal for a touch of eccentric youthfulness and perfect when you want to make an impression. A few years ago, pink flamingos were all the rage: they were ubiquitous, on T-shirts, at the beach and swimming pools, as furnishing accessories. Loads of pink had taken the world by storm, in a comedic and staggering way.

From fashion to furnishings: ‘total pink look’

From fashion to home furnishings is but a short distance, and so, after our wardrobes, our homes are now also rose-tinted. From contemporary design such as Kartell bedside tables, to kitchen stools, through to armchairs and sofas, to curtain textiles. A very fine example is the pink bed, with matching or contrasting colour duvet cover and sheets, in a romantic mood and playful colour palette of pink and white.

The colour of love has become a ‘must-have’ also in the choice of coverings: a thousand patterns and materials for wallpaper, from actual paper to leather to satin fabrics, so that the walls of your home can take on a wholly new, rose-tinted personality.

As fr the floor, Santamargherita has taken care of that, with SM Marble in two hues, Rosa Perlino and Rosa del Garda. The former is a lighter and more delicate shade of pink, and its brightness perfectly complements a room with more delicate colour schemes, or in playful contrast with lighter or darker colours, working with customised geometries and decorations. The latter is a more intense hue of pink, and creates a warm and cosy ambiance, with all the shades from pastel to the most intense pink.