Pantone Colour of the Year: Classic Blue | via thedesigntabloid.com

Pantone Colour of 2020: CLASSIC BLUE

January 29, 2020January 28, 2020 Design Monarchy2 Comments

Feature image via: Design Monarchy Interior Design Studio

by Marica Fick

Happy 2020 folks! 2020… can you believe?! It sounds very sci-fi. I hope you all had a lovely, rest-filled festive break and are all geared for the new year?

I’m sure by now you have all noticed a certain colour trend flooding your Pinterest, Instagram and blog feeds? You know the colour I’m referring to – it is a bold, almost primary blue… a kind of “delft-meets-school-uniform”. Well, however you choose to describe it, it is called CLASSIC BLUE and it is Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2020.

I know I mention this every year, but I was once again surprised by Pantone’s selection for Colour of the Year – it is never what I expect it to be. Not that I am going to complain because I just so happen to be a blue-girl. While Classic Blue is a tiny bit on the strong and bright side for me, I generally love all shades and hues of blue.

Thinking back on Pantone’s previous selections for COTY, it does seem that they prefer bold and bright above muted and soft. With the exclusion of 2015’s dusky Marsala and 2016’s soft pastel duo, Rose Quartz & Serenity, the last ten years have been pretty bold and punchy. Think last year’s Living Coral, 2018’s Ultra Violet, and 2013’s Emerald.

The selection of Classic Blue as Pantone’s Colour of the Year also came as a surprise to a good few trend-watchers and forecasters who anticipated a shade of green to win out. Plascon, for example, reflected this in their choice for Hue of 2020, Mulberry Leaf, a gorgeous moody green.

Some trend observers are of the opinion that Pantone was playing it rather “safe” by selecting a generally liked colour like blue.

In an article written for Dezeen, design consultant Michelle Ogundehin stated that in choosing a democratic colour like blue, Pantone played it safe and still missed the mark:

“… seeing as blue is routinely cited as one of the Western world’s eternally favourite colours – no doubt because it instantly recalls cloudless summer skies and warm calm seas – it couldn’t go wrong with such an inoffensive pick. Or could it?”

Michelle went on to say that this rather safe choice is a result of the backlash and criticism surrounding last year’s COTY, Living Coral. Design commentators and critics felt the inspiration behind the colour and name selection was an insensitive choice considering the rapidly dwindling amount of coral left in our oceans.

10 Sleek & Chic Bar Cabinets | via The Design Tabloid

10 Sleek & Chic Bar Cabinets for Your Home

October 23, 2019October 22, 2019 Design Monarchy1 Comment

feature image: PepperJack Interiors via Elle Decor

by Marica Fick

Last month, inspired by a post we spotted on Emily Henderson’s blog, we wrote an article about the current trend of using armoires, traditionally meant for the bedroom, as feature pieces in the rest of the home.

We accompanied the post with a lovely roundup of locally-found contemporary storage cabinets that could serve as statement display units in every room of your home.

Now, while I was prepping the article and curating our “8 Contemporary Storage Cabinets for Your Home” shopping list, I was quite astonished by the number of striking bar cabinets I came across during my search. Not only were these drinks cabinets absolutely gorgeous, they were also all local available – the majority being exclusive pieces designed and manufactured by South African designers. Elite to say the least!

I immediately bookmarked a few designs and made a mental note to follow-up our contemporary storage unit article with one about bar cabinets.

Where previously the open display of alcohol in the home might have been deemed a tad vulgar and Mid-century kitsch, the ever-growing popularity of boutique and craft spirits and liquors has resulted in a home bar revival. I mean, what is the point of owning beautifully designed bottles filled delicious, locally-stilled, limited-edition drinks and then not being able to show it off?! I bit hipster, I know, but I can’t help it!

8 Contemporary Storage Cabinets | via The Design Tabloid

8 Contemporary Storage Cabinets for Your Home

August 8, 2019August 23, 2019 Design Monarchy1 Comment

feature image: bo bedre

by Marica Fick

Rose recently spotted a lovely article on Emily Henderson’s blog that set the inspiration cogs in our heads turning. In the post, “Why You Should Be Using Armoires in Every Room”, Emily elaborates why furniture pieces like armoires should not be hidden in the bedroom but incorporated as feature pieces in the rest of the home.

Before we get all tripped up over terminology, let’s quickly look at the definition of “Armoire”…

As we have previously defined in our Decorating Dictionary, an Armoire is a large loose-standing two-door cabinet, usually containing shelves, hanging space, and sometimes drawers below. Generally used for storing clothing or household items, interestingly enough it was originally used for storing arms.

Emily had the following to say about this atypical trend:

“Let’s talk wardrobes, or armoires if you’re feeling fancy, and how to bring it into our modern day lives because even though likely none of us are currently living in a sprawling French chateau, these heavier pieces of furniture can be used successfully (and VERY chicly) in nearly every room of the house. It’s one of those pieces that are often overlooked, but let’s all agree to stop that right now and consider the armoire.

Sure, with a name like “wardrobe,” you’re thinking they have to be relegated behind closed bedroom doors. But we’re all for thinking outside the box around here at EHD and like to be trailblazers in anything if we can. We’re not in this instance, but we’re loving what we’re seeing from other like-minded people. Because really, armoires are essentially just cabinets for storing things so why can’t we use one anywhere and everywhere we need storage, right? Plus, because they take up more vertical space than horizontal, they’re great for smaller footprints.”

In her blog post, Emily shared some gorgeous examples of both traditional and contemporary armoires used as storage and display in various unexpected parts of the home – from the bathroom and entryway to the dining room and living room.

10 Drool-Worthy Luxury Walk-in Closets

July 3, 2019August 23, 2019 Design MonarchyLeave a comment

feature image: Who What Wear

by Marica Fick

I have to admit, for someone in the creative industry, I’m a bit of a fashion dud. Don’t get me wrong, I DO desire lovely, well-thought-through outfits and voguish attire – it is just not high on my priority list. Furthermore, I don’t think I was blessed with the expert “fashion eye”. For me comfort trumps style most days and, to be honest, I am fine with being a Plain Jane.

Having said that, there is something very desirable about a beautifully designed and organized closet. Gorgeous clothes, shoes, handbags and fashion accessories lined up and displayed like the posh shelves of a chic boutique. You don’t have to be a fashion guru, retail addict or materialistic diva to want and appreciate a stylish walk-in closet or dressing room.

Trend Alert: Terracotta & Earth Colours

May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 Design MonarchyLeave a comment

feature image: Dulux New Zealand

by Marica Fick

Like our previous trend post about the resurgence of Rattan, the hot and spicy colour trend we will be sharing today also smacks of retro deliciousness.

With the chill of winter fast approaching, we are quite happy to see the interior colour palettes shift to richer and warmer tones. I think it is exactly this yearning for warmth, cosiness, and womb-like comfort that has made TERRACOTTA the go-to home colour trend of the past few seasons.

To give you a greater scope of the massive popularity of this earthy-coloured trend, let me share this tidbit:

A few times a year, Pinterest releases as a category specific report detailing the latest and greatest pinning trends from around the world. Last year, they reported a whopping 95% increase of terracotta-themed interior and homeware images in the UK alone.

Pantone Colour of 2019: LIVING CORAL

February 5, 2019February 4, 2019 Design Monarchy1 Comment

Feature image via: Honeycombers

by Marica Fick

Like previous years, I was once again surprised by Pantone’s selection for Colour of the Year 2019. My first reaction (and Rose’s too for that matter) upon hearing “The Chosen” colour for this year was: “Coral, really?! – been there done that!” That is so 8 years ago. In fact, we have actually mentioned coral in not one, but TWO blog posts in the past – both trend reflection articles – in 2011 and 2012.

Don’t get me wrong – it is not that I don’t like coral – I actually like it quite a bit and I was once again reminded of that fact while searching for all the gorgeous inspiration pictures we have shared below.

In Pantone’s defence – the way we use coral (now versus 8 years ago), how it is applied in an interior space and the colours we combine it with has evolved into something more “here and now”. Trends tend to do that – evolve.

I tried to recollect whether we at Design Monarchy have ever had interior projects that strongly featured coral. I immediately thought of one hospitality / retirement project we were involved with that included coral into the colour scheme. It was an upmarket seaside venue and we paired the coral with tones of blue – teal and aqua. See the fabric scheme: HERE.

On further reflection, I found that we had a few design and decorating projects that incorporated some shade of coral as an accent colour – be that a coral-coloured scatter cushion or a floral fabric featuring a lovely blue and coral bloom.