Picking on the Color Purple

Purple is such an intriguing colour, not only in its physical appearance but also in its history and influence on popular culture. In our homes, purple can exude just as much adult elegance as it will childlike whimsy. It’s also associated with royalty and spirituality. A recent poll found that most people name purple as their favorite color (and that includes me).

Maybe that’s because purple was glamorized through recent years. From book and film titles to popular logos and championship sports businesses, we’re seeing both the word and the colour purple more and more. Therefore, in this Ideabook I decided to include inspirational distances along with a couple of fun facts to celebrate all things purple.

Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B

Violet. Warm purples are usually referred to as violet. The strong influence of red creates a colour that’s intimate and chic.

Paint Select: Kismet 6830 by Sherwin Williams

Fun fact: Freight firm Federal Express uses a notable colour of purple in their FedEx logos. This signifies a’purple promise’ you will receive your package on-time, but using purple with orange (in their principal logo) also ensures your package will stand out so you won’t miss seeing it.

Karen Maximo-Fernando

Gray Purple. This hot, muted gray is very serene and calming. Its gray undertones make it a fantastic choice for contemporary spaces.

Paint Select: Beguiling Mauve 6269 by Sherwin Williams

SGH Designs inc..

Periwinkle. Bluish purple includes a royal quality. Based on the lighting, it can look blue or purple. It’s definitely a colour that makes you look twice.

Paint Select: Dahlia 6816 by Sherwin Williams

angela varela cunha

Plum. Darker, red purples are warm and sophisticated. If you wish to put in a little bit of coziness to your modern space, using this colour is a lighthearted and unexpected way to do it.

Paint Select: Vigorous Violet 6838 by Sherwin Williams

LUX Design

Purple, white and gray is a really contemporary and sophisticated colour scheme — perfect for an urban loft. Make your design more interesting by mixing patterns and textures.

Fun fact: Internet giant Yahoo! changed the colour of its emblem from red to purple in 2008.

Chris Snook

Vibrant purples work well as accent colors. Just a small pop of the electrical purple leaves a large effect.

Paint Select: Crocus Petal Purple 2071-40 by Benjamin Moore

Fun fact: The film Purple Rain, starring recording artist Prince, debuted in 1984. The movie grossed around $80 million and became a cult classic. In addition, the movie’s soundtrack offered 20 millions copies worldwide.

A simple way to add colour to a room is with accent fabrics. Here, purple pillows and a throw immediately catch your attention.

Fun fact: The Color Purple, the film, was released in 1985. Depending on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Alice Walker, the film starred Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. The film totaled $142 million worldwide and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. Now, The Color Purple is a Broadway musical and it’s currently on a nationwide tour.

Marcus Gleysteen Architects

In this dining area, a purple area rug occupies the room and adds a welcome dash of colour.

Fun fact: Violets were cultivated by the early Greeks start in 500 BC. They believed these flowers symbolized fertility and love.

Bockman + Forbes Design

Royal purple upholstery makes any seat look and feel like a throne.

Fun fact: Purple, the colour and the name, originally came from a dye made from the glands of a tropical sea snail, the murex (purpura in Latin). Centuries past, creating the dye was expensive and labor-intensive. Thus, it became symbolic with wealth, royalty and power.

Bockman + Forbes Design

I’m having deep chandelier envy here! A really fun way to inject purple (or some other color) into your area is with stylish lighting fixtures — and why don’t you double up them? The best things come in pairs.

Fun fact: In America, aubergine is used to describe a deep shade of purple, but in Europe aubergine is the name they use to get a vegetable: eggplant.

More:
The Power of Purple
The best way to Select the right blue
The best way to Select the right gray
More colour guides

See related

Comments are closed.