The STORY OF 'O'

I could never have an affair with Orange. So great is my passion for this most chipper of hues that the jig would be up in an instant. My particular (or, to some, peculiar) attraction to orange lies mainly in the dynamic way it plays with pink. A very couture combination, this pairing delights me so, I made it the star of my living room, embracing robust oranges and rusts equally as much as shell pinks and deep raspberries. For a glimpse of the inspiration that forms the nucleus of the room, look left to see designer Angela Adams’ “Mammy punch” rug.

 

But back to orange, known here on in as my “main squeeze”. One thing I appreciate most about orange is the way it galvanizes people—more often than not they either love it or hate it at first glance. This is a tremendous help to me, because before being a mad lover of orange I am, more importantly, a guy who knows not to push his luck.

In return, oranges knows not to push its luck with me with such nonsense as ‘peach’(or peche, en francais, a word that’s much easier to spit out with decided disdain). For a quieter take on this blazing beauty, I prefer to lean more to the melon tones or soft corals (think: Chanel) to make a room glow with quiet femininity. On the cantaloupe-y side, try C2’s Shrimp, or if the spirit moves you to be filled to the brim with girlish glee (three little maids from school are we), consider Terra Bella or Queen Anne Pink, both from Benjamin Moore. Big box pick: Behr’s Parfait.

 

One side-note here: a truly favourite sub-set colour remains what I call sunblush melon, the lovechild of both orange and pink (see above re: living room). Think of a slice of cantaloupe that has sat out at length on a summer’s day and acquired a sunburn and you’ve got it exactly. To some ears this might sound like a dreadful refugee from Boca Raton but I assure you it is a gorgeous hue, found in certain varieties of rhododendron and my old “painted lady” Victorian home in Vancouver. Some of the most divine sunblush melons are Ben Moore’s Old World and Coral Gables, or Flamingo and Tomfoolery from C2. Big box pick: Behr’s Fruit Shake.

 

If you are more adventurous/lively/spiritual/stoned, stronger oranges may illuminate your path to success. Again, fully saturated colours can be tough to temper in a civilized space but there are many oranges out there who know how to mind their Ps and Qs. Among these are Fireball and Persimmon from C2; Buttered Yam and Orange Burst from B. Moore and the exquisitely bright (for them) Charlotte’s Locks by Farrow & Ball. Big Box pick: Koi from Behr.

 

If these citrus-drenched lovelies are not to your taste, try some of the more moderate terra cottas to see if they’ll do the trick. And before you diss and dismiss these as “slaves of Santa Fe”, consider terra cotta as a material predates the ‘80s by centuries. Rest assured that these tones are gracious and handily hermaphroditic when pressed to perform in a space… or in the battle of the sexes. Stand-outs include: Firenze by Benjamin Moore; Farrow & Ball’s Red Earth and C2’s earthy and understated offering, Tortoise. Big box pick: Moroccan Sky from Behr.

 

Next up on the roster: yellow, naturally, but we'll cover a bit of other ground before then, too...