Living Coral: What Pantone’s Colour Of 2019 Can Do For Your Home

The world is set to welcome optimistic, life-affirming energies in 2019, and Pantone has just made it official by announcing ‘living coral’ as the colour of the year. A buoyant shade found in the magnificent marine world, living coral carries notes of peach and orange, washed by a near-golden glow. It invokes images of blissful days at the beach, and harks of all that is inviting and inspiring about the earth. It plays with natural softness, aspires towards invigorating vibrancy, and has all the makings of an interior design trendsetter.

A natural choice

Its “colour of the year” tag may be brand new, but living coral has already found expression in various facets of design. As far as home interiors go, we have been seeing generous doses of pink, rose, salmon, peach and orange in contemporary colour palettes. Neutral shades have been moving away from bare, unaffiliated whites, greys and browns, and towards livelier undertones of yellow, orange and pink. This blend of subtlety and vibrancy finds a gorgeous manifestation in living coral, a colour that expertly expresses the natural connection between vitality and rootedness.

Livening homes and hearts

Living coral is a hue that can be added to your home in mild as well as generous doses. Its innate brightness is beautifully balanced by its earthy foundation, allowing it to infuse spaces with a cheerful warmth that steers clear of frivolousness. Channel it into your home in the form of a coral couch that inspires conversation and connection. Introduce it as an accent chair, rug or artwork to warm up your neutral-themed room. Bring eclectic charm into your modern kitchen with quirky coral kitchenware that carries retro hints. Or take the bold route by giving an entire wall, entryway or bathroom a living coral makeover.

Pairings and complements

Thanks to its natural, life-affirming foundations, living coral can flaunt its vitality while leaving ample room for any surrounding tints and textures to express themselves. As such, there is a place for it in a myriad of colour palettes and interior design themes. As a hue inspired by gorgeous coral reefs, it can nurture warmth and balance in a theme of deep sea blues and greens. Use living coral accents as a complement for turquoise or teal furniture, or go the other way round and allow houseplants and blue-green accessories to accompany a living coral wall. Add in hints of yellow or dusky pink to complete the marine melange.

If understated elegance is your cup of tea, make living coral the playful highlight of your beige, white, grey or earth-toned room. Allow coral-tinted bedding to energize a grey or beige bedroom, or coral-themed wall art to amplify the richness of a wood-finished living room or study. Shades of rose, blush or dusky pink can also acquire a warmer expression when paired with living coral elements.

Exhibiting perfectly balanced quantities of weight, buoyancy, playfulness and subtlety, living coral is the ideal mascot for homes that fulfil our need for comfort and individual expression. Pantone has proclaimed it the colour of 2019, but it will no doubt evolve as an interior design staple in the years to come.