Colour of the year 2022: In love with Lilac

The tastemakers at Pantone have announced their colour of the Year for 2022, naming Pantone 17-3938 Very Peri as its choice. Every year the company endorses a shade that it believes will be ever-present in the year to come. This year’s colour has definitely caught my eye! Described as “happiest and warmest of all the blue hues” because it “blends the faithfulness and constancy of blue with the energy and excitement of red,” to me, it’s a perfect lilac-mauve. With a slight grey undertone but enough warmth to keep it versatile, it’s ticking my colour boxes.

“I’m hoping to see lots of variations of this lovely lilac coming through the workshop in the months ahead.”

Colour of the Year

Now, I love pink but I know it’s not for everyone. This cooler – some may say classier – hue is going to more palatable for most people’s homes. I’d sit it with dusky pinks, elderberries and more burnished blues and lilacs. A pop of contrast piping or buttons would bring in some of those on-trend style credentials, without going all-in if you weren’t feeling as brave.

In fact, the team at Pantone itself says, “for interiors, Very Peri is capable of injecting a sense of playful freshness into homes and spaces – particularly through unusual combinations. Applying to different textures and finishes will exaggerate this,” Pantone predicts.

I’m hoping to see lots of variations of this lovely lilac coming through the workshop in the months ahead. Tempted? Here’s my pick of the top five fabrics you could choose to inject a bit of mauve magic into your next upholstery project…

Poodle & Blonde: Margate Marble in Midnight Lavender

Designed in-house at the Poodle & Blonde HQ in Margate, Margate Marble has been created in three bold colourways, with Midnight Lavender featuring shades of lilac, pink, blue and green.

With the print representing a range of abstract shaped and sized bubbles, the moment I saw it, I loved it. It has a real modernity and freshness that I think will last. If I had a suitable project on the horizon, I’d be lining up this print to add the perfect little hit of lilac to my life. The print comes either in a cotton velvet or linen and all Poodle & Blonde fabrics are printed to order.

Linwood Fabrics Omega Prints The Wave in Mauve

Sourced from an archive in Paris, this stylish design with its dramatic undulating waves has been reworked on Linwood’s ever-popular Omega velvet.

The magnificence of the crashing waves design makes a total statement and I have recently used the same print on a sofa with absolutely stunning results. A fabric this eye-catching would have to work as focal point, so I’d team it with a more neutral backdrop. Unless you’re a full-on maximalist – and then you could clash it with colours and prints to your heart’s content!

Arley House Zebra – Classic 1 in Lavender

Who doesn’t love an animal print? This interpretation sees Arley House present a bold and classic classic zebra stripe on a luxurious rich velvet fabric, available for cushions, upholstery, curtains and blinds.

As part of Arley’s House’s contemporary collection, I could see this working brilliantly in a bright, modern home or it could be just the statement you need to bring a splash of jungle-inspired style to a more classic interior.

Blackpop Duprez Misty Blue

Elegantly distressed, with tones of watery blue merging into that beautiful lilac-y hue, I LOVE this print from the ultra-cool Blackpop brand.

The entire Duprez collection is lavish and luxurious, flushed with faded grandeur and contemporary twists, but to me this colourway is the real hit. Beautifully crafted and high-quality, this rich velvet has an aged luminosity or fog-like fade running through it.

The design alludes to the exotic and the mysterious, like ancient Chinese silks with colourful pasts and imagined histories. All of Blackpop’s British velvets are digitally printed in the UK using environmentally sustainable water-based inks.

Mairi Helena Harris Green Thistle

Inspired by island meanderings on the Isle of Harris capturing the wild landscapes and abundant flora, there is more than just a hint of mauve about this gorgeous print.

Its designer, Mairi Helena describes the rugged heathland of the Scottish Highlands and islands as her favourite landscape, and it’s clear to see why the colours could have captivated her so much. I love the way this design is true to its Scottish heritage but also interprets it in a totally modern and slightly abstract way. And of course, no Scottish print would be complete without a reference to that traditional thistle, which brings in that modern mauve.

Has that lilac line-up inspired you to get going with a new season project? Drop me a line for an initial, no-obligation quote by filling in the online contact form. Alternatively, you can email me directly at sharon@vintiqueupholstery.com or call me on 07764 182 783.