Pink for Brunettes

Brunettes need Pink Too. Carrying on from my previous blog about the pinks interior designers designated as their faves for blondes, our focus on pink and other favorite colors for brunettes has many witty ID's adding their comments.

"Speaking as a brunette, (albeit a highlighted one) I think we look better in rooms that reflect our dark and mysterious nature. Benjamin Moore's 'Topeka Taupe# 1463' is a JOHN SINGER SARGENT brown with a bit of gray, which makes it more interesting. He loved using dark backgrounds in his portraits. A bedroom in this color would be soothing, restful, and sexy. A very important contrast would be the elusive shell pink, Benjamin Moore's 'Bride To Be 1009,' perhaps use it on the trim or ceiling, recommends Madeline Stuart. Barbara Barry loves the soft blush that diffuses the light and makes your skin seem flawless by using Benjamin Moore's 'Bashful 1171.' She finds this the perfect backdrop for a brunette because "it highlights that reddish undertone and makes dark hair look rich and regal. Also, it strikes the perfect balance, toned down enough to be a neutral but definitely there, like a great perfume."

Mary McDonald recommends 'Fine Paints of Europe 7195' because "I think red is a sexy color for brunettes. We can handle strong colors that would eat up a blonde. This is more of a blue red than a tomatoey country red. It's sultry and sophisticated, guaranteed to bring out the Dita von Teese in anyone."

"All of us brunettes, whether Asian, African-American, or that brown-eyed girl Van Morrison sang about, have one thing to be grateful for. When was the last time you heard of a dumb brunette? There's not a color we can't use, and we'll always be better with more of it. Sherwin-Williams 'Stop SW6869' is a geisha-mouth, cayenne papper red, something a hummingbird swoons toward. It just howls to be painted on a floor somewhere---your own red carpet."

Traveler Jarrett Hedborg finds Benjamin Moore's 'True Pink 2003-40' perfect. "I can't think of a better room for a brunette than Harry's Bar in Florence, Italy, with begonia pink walls and dark wainscoting. The tablecloths and napkins are the same pink with a hint of blue in it, which makes it a tad cooler. Rich colors are really flattering to brunettes, while blondes just fade away. Stay away from sweet, or anything that looks like it would be appropriate for Easter."

Amy Lau chimes in with a recommendation for KT Color, 'Rouge Framboise LC32.101.' "I am completely in love with these paints, originally made for LE CORBUSIER and mixed with pure artist's pigments to get these super-saturated jewel tones. This is the color of garnets, rubies, Japanese maple leaves, that red dress you wear on a first date that really sizzles. I see it in a dining room with red wine, a five-course meal, candlelight, and twinkling glasses."

Orange is an off-shoot of red, just like pink, with yellow added rather than white, and the following ID's lean more toward the palette of peach to orange.

"I'm Italian, and it's very Italian to use orange. Think of those luxury brands with orange logos, Hermes and Pratesi. I see it lacquered on a ceiling, with cream walls. Or you could get that faded Tuscan feeling by using it as a wsh in the living room. A lacquered orange library with black bookshelves would be totally sensational, super modern, super chic" says Milly de Cabrol. She loves to use Ralph Lauren Paint's 'Baja Orange 1862.'

Sara Bengur has similar sentiments. She states: "In Mediterranean cultures, you see a lot of brunettes and a lot of orange. Yolo Colorhouse's 'Petal 01' is vibrant and happy, yet toned down with a little brown, so it feels natural. These paints from Yolo Colorhouse are environmentally friendly with no VOCs and a warm, earthy palette. I'd like to use this color, 'Petal 01' in my bathroom or a sitting room with lots of books. I would also bring in accents of turquoise, yellow and red, the brighter the better so they would play off of each other."

Susan Zises Green favors peachy tones. "What makes a dark-haired woman look good is a glow of color. Benjamin Moore's 'Perky Peach 2012-50' is this soft, sensual peach which has the romance of candle light and the warmth of cashmere. If a woman paints her bedroom this color, a man might think it's too feminine until he's in it. But then he would feel enveloped and embraced, warm, cozy, taken care of---all these things people like to feel."

The enlightening quotes above are taken from House Beautiful's "500 Favorite Paint Colors" published in 2010. May your rooms glow a flattering tint onto your life. I hope you will look up JOHN SINGER SARGENT and LE CORBUSIER to see if you agree with the Interior Designers who referenced them.

In NUMEROLOGY KEY TO COLOR PERSONALITY, by interior designer Ellen Kennon,  if Rose or Pink are your faves, this color connotes that your main qualities are strength, love, and leadership. You turn visions into reality. If you have a proclivity for Orange is dominant, then you are balanced both mentally and physically. You are happy, loyal, and take each day as it comes.