Desert Palette
Our colour expert Samantha Bacon looks at the characteristics of a particular colour and explains the best combinations of paint, wallpaper and fabric to get the most out of decorating schemes.
Bright, highly saturated orange and deep mid-purple are two hues you wouldn’t ordinarily put together in a colour scheme. However, blend these two secondary colours together and you have the most beautiful array of rich yet subtle terracottas, rusts and soft pinks. Then, add some white to the equation and you produce pale, pretty pastels – and now you have a tertiary palette reminiscent of the rich hues of the Australian desert, which, naturally, work together.
This is undoubtedly the warmest of the tertiary palettes. Orange has red and yellow as its base and purple is made by combining red and blue – and it’s this touch of blue that cools the range slightly. Consider, therefore, combining these colours with soft neutrals and whites with just the merest undertone of pink and orange to ensure that the decorating scheme is not overpowering. Neutral oatmeal shades and pale timber floors also offset the warmth of it.
The subdued oranges and rich warm purples are also hues associated with the vintage trend that’s sweeping the world. This started in the Bohemian quarters of New York and this palette works extremely well in a contemporary setting where the occupants want a sleek, modern environment but crave the old-world appeal of these rich, exotic hues.
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