Wednesday, March 24, 2010

A Touch of Mauve


Hotel Costes in Paris
Mauve is the color in the purple family- it is softer, and greyer. The color mauve was discovered by accident by the English chemist Sir William Perkin in 1856. Because of Perkin’s work, thousands of artificial colors were created, such as violet, blue, green and crimson. In 1858, it was considered a frivolous color; and what helped popularize this color was the fact that Queen Victoria wore mauve to her daughter’s wedding. In addition, Empress Eugénie who was the wife of Napoleon the third loved wearing mauve since the color matched her eyes.

Some people consider the use of bold colors in interiors to be intimidating, but I think the use of mauve against a backdrop of neutral backgrounds can add richness and some drama to the space.


Designer Suzanne Kasler, Photography by William Waldron, courtesy of Southern Accents
Designer Jane Churchill , photography by Andreas Von Einsiedel, courtesy of Southern Accents
Designer Nicholas Haslam, photography by David Montgomery

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