still thinking pink

Well valentines has come and gone, but Im still in the mood for all things pink, a passion Ive chosen to channel in my decorative exploits (see these cool new lamps I bought as a valentines gift to myself? five dollars only!) From a design perspective, pink, more than any other color, is difficult to treat as just a color, so strong is its association with girliness. But it doesnt have to be feminine... in fact, it used to be the more masculine hue in the pink-blue dichotomy (you can read this post I wrote a year ago if you want to know a little more about it, and see some pictures of adorable korean children while youre at it) As an accent against clean neutral tones, look how its used to pleasing, fairly gender-neutral (ever so slightly twee) effect in this Danish (Norweigan? Swedish? Scandinavian anyway) ladys apartment:

 Not surprisingly, when I was little, I loooooved the color pink. Then I turned eight and realized what a childish favorite color it was, and promptly transferred my allegiance to a beautiful shade of ocean swimming-pool blue I couldnt seem to stop thinking about. But looking back, I feel I may have abandoned my love of pink too hastily. Because while cerulean inspires me, pink, more than any other color, really does cheer me up. Only, I read once, during a unit on color theory in my high school interior design class, that if you paint a room pink, like in a prison or something, at first it improves everyones mood, ameliorating violent tendencies... but then eventually it makes them go insane. I wish I had a citation for that, but I swear I did read it.But the aforementioned maddening effect the pink room had was on people who presumably couldnt leave it, and thankfully, that doesnt describe me. And presumably the kind of pink one chose would make a difference. If it were me, Id go with a pastel. In the kitchen (I hate pink for a bedroom) pale, peachy shell-pink can take the place of all-white china without seriously interfering with the aesthetic presentation of a meal. And how about that powder pink Smeg?!

Or what about a pink Aga, even? I dont think theyre really the best for cooking having used one over the summer, but they sure do look great. Could you have a pink fridge and a pink stove? Or would that be too much? I suspect its better to have a black stove...

Its such a nice soft look. Conversely, I also love this modern and compelling hot pink, offset by speckly tile flooring, bright green succulents, and all that white (successful pink interiors seem to incorporate plenty of white):

Youd have to choose one or the other, pastel or neon (a paler scheme works better in a smaller space) and no matter what it would be important to keep it modern. Then youd have to convince your husband it was a good idea. But wouldnt it just make you feel like baking, all the time!?

images via here, here, here here & here