Find inspiration to accent your home with Pantone’s colour of the year
BY MALATI K. VIJAY
Every turn of the year, the design world wakes up to new trends. Pantone Colour Institute has anointed Viva Magenta as the colour of 2023, and we are hoping to see lots of rose tinted interiors. It’s a daring and expressive shade that is also warm, feminine and playful. It will be exciting to see all the new interior aesthetics it will throw up.
Calling it an unconventional shade for an unconventional time, Pantone describes it as “brave and fearless, and a pulsating colour whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration”.
Belonging to the red family, Viva Magenta is a balanced mix of warm and cool tones, and coaxes one to be adventurous. As a hybrid colour, it also corresponds to the physical and digital worlds that we straddle today. Boldness with colours comes naturally to Indians, and this trend is set to spur some surprise experimentation on the home front. We scrolled through the portfolios of some designers and were struck by the imaginative way the tones of Viva Magenta have been used in their projects.
It’s a colour that excites maximalists and minimalists alike. You may choose to make a splash by painting a wall or a ceiling with it, or you can just rouge your clean interiors with it. It is impressive both as the hero of your interiors, or as an accent tone. It’s a versatile shade that is uplifting, glamorous, playful and vivacious.
And no space is off-limits for it. You can use it across the home from entryway to living and dining, bedrooms to bathrooms, and even walk-in closets. You will find bold strokes of Viva Magenta in the projects of designers Shabnam Gupta of Orangelane and Sanjyt Syngh of Sanjyt Syngh: Spaces + Objects. Both design houses display their love for colour brazenly and beautifully in their projects, each in their uniquely individualistic styles. Kolkata-based Ajay Arya of A Square Designs and Delhi-based Ritu Gupta of Pramod Groups have also used the tone in their projects, though in a more measured quantum.
While magenta has been a popular shade in the Indian context, the opulent tone of Viva Magenta presents a more rich and exuberant emotion. Its incorporation into your spaces is bound to bring a sense of joy and charm.





Some ideas to include the trendy tone in your interiors
All-out bold
If you are looking to make a definitive statement with the colour, use it to paint a wall to create a stunning design feature. Go a step ahead and cover two adjoining walls or even an entire room with the shade to evoke a gorgeous maximal mood. You could also outline doorways and arches by painting them with Viva Magenta. Known for audacious use of colours, Shabnam Gupta has used the shade to highlight a layered doorway— creating a captivating feature. Never one to shy away from exploiting the power of colour in his projects, albeit in a very sophisticated and stylish manner, Sanjyt Syngh uses the tone for upholstering furniture pieces, including headboards and the insides of a closet.
As an accent tone
An accent chair, a few cushions and décor accessories in Viva Magenta are enough to create an eye-catching feature in any space. The organic shaped carpet designed by Sanjyt Syngh with Lipstick written on it in pink is a case in point. Floral cushions featuring a pink shade from Ajay Arya’s restaurant project add a pleasant touch to the overall scheme. Ritu Gupta employs the shade for the headboard and a statement chair, carefully balancing them with the base palette.
Textiles are your best bet
Introducing a desired colour through fabrics is a more permanent way. Use the fabric to upholster furniture pieces of all sizes and shapes, and for covering the walls. Cladding walls or headboards with a textured fabric adds another dimension to your interiors. Luscious velvets and shimmering silks help elevate this shade instantly. You could also use luxurious fabrics like chenille or fine quality cotton and linen. Just a hint of pink used in napkins and cushions in Arya’s Jalsa restaurant project electrifies the dark, magnetic atmosphere.


A luminous finish
Being a warm and rich shade, Viva Magenta is at its best when used with a luminous finish. When you paint a wall or furniture with the tone, go for a lacquered finish that imparts a smooth and shiny look. Applied on wood or metal, lacquer gives it a luxe, sophisticated edge.
Contrasts
There’s no doubt that crisp white and beige set off Viva Magenta in the most flattering way. You can explore other contrasting shades like bright yellow or mustard, and warmer tones such as red, purple and orange. Gold and silver work well too as they enhance its regal quality. Syngh pairs it with deep blue with great success, creating a striking combination.
Flower power
There are so many ornamental flowers in this colour wave that introducing Viva Magenta in your decor becomes easy. A bunch of pink oriental lilies, orchids, carnations, tulips or roses mixed with other shades is a simple way to bring the flavour of the trendy colour into your spaces. Be inspired by the al fresco dining set-up curated by Syngh to embrace the colour of the season. A bit of the pink tone in the table runner, along with the flowers, enlivens the entire scene.
(The writer is a Bengaluru-based freelance journalist and content consultant. Formerly with the Times of India, Economic Times and Livingetc India, she writes primarily on design, art and lifestyle. She also enjoys giving a healthy twist to various cuisines)