Purple Power: Decorating with Ultra Violet

Ultra Violet is the 2018 Colour of the Year - as per the Pantone Color Institute; the world's chromatic forecast of style and cultural reckoning.

As Ultra Violet is close in shade to a purple used by our artists - Matisse's Dioxazine Purple, we are extra excited to do this feature!

Ultra Violet is a powerful blue-based purple reminiscent of a mystical night sky.

From a colour psychology perspective, purple promotes harmony of the mind and the emotions, contributing to mental balance and stability, peace of mind, and a link between the spiritual and the physical worlds, between thought and activity. This is why we see purple supporting the practice of meditation.

According to Pantone's website, Ultra Violet symbolises experimentation and non-conformity. It flaunts originality and communicates ingenuity and visionary thinking towards the future.

“We are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination,” says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. “It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level. From exploring new technologies and the greater galaxy, to artistic expression and spiritual reflection, intuitive Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come.”

In decorating, Ultra Violet is not an easy-to-decorate-with colour though.

It is a colour that you could use either in a very sparing way or you can totally embrace, but you have to be careful what you put with it.

Firstly, ask yourself what you want to achieve with this colour. You might use Ultra Violet in your environment to inject a little playfulness, or to invoke a sense of spirituality. Or do you want to create an escape from the practicalities of life, a place to daydream?

Here are a few tips and ideas to get you going.

Aesthetic Fearlessness with Ultra Violet

If you're the kind of person to go all out with a colour, or are craving something spectacular, saturating your space with Ultra Violet could be the look for you!

The key to this look is layers. Think walls or furniture, and repeat the colour in throw pillows, artwork and small ottomans.

Keep in mind that Ultra Violet is not a shy colour, and it is not for everyone; too much of this colour can promote or aggravate depression in some. 

To counteract this, try throwing in a little of Ultra Violet's complimentary colour - yellow. We're liking a deep golden yellow or citrus, or perhaps try last year's colour of the year, Greenery - a zesty yellow-green.

In a predominately Ultra Violet room, the eye will want to see a pop of yellow.

Playful

For a double complimentary, choose a combination of Ultra Violet, golden yellow, turquoise and a rusty orange. This will give you an extra injection of colour, while keeping the eye happy. 

You don't need so much Ultra Violet for this look and can feature it in a large item such as artwork or furniture, or throw in a splash with a vase or fresh flowers.

This bold purple works best with other complementing shades such as lilac, mauve, blues and mustard, softening the overall look. 

Soft and Sweet

Scientifically speaking, we know that red and blue is used to create the colour purple. Therefore purple contains the energy and strength of red with the spirituality and integrity of blue - in a sense representing the union of body and soul, creating a balance between our physical and our spiritual energies.

If you want to highlight these qualities in your space, Ultra Violet works well paired with hints of pink and lavender. 

Being an analogous colour choice, throwing in turquoise or blue to this equation works too.

Shades of Purple

If you don’t want to fully commit to the colour, think about adding Ultra Violet accents through small accessories, such as vases or coffee mugs, or adding adventurous furniture or changeable artwork to inject the power of this colour into your room without overwhelming the space.

Ensure there is plenty of white and neutral colours. All shades of purples mesh together marvelously too and can be incorporated through different textures. Think lavender, plums and mauves.

Quick tips

• Accessories, especially against a neutral background, are a great way to bring Ultra Violet into a room without it dominating the space.
• Using Ultra Violet as an accent keeps the color looking sophisticated. Use sparingly in the form of fresh flowers, artwork, toss pillows and accessories.
• Add small pops of the color, such as on two chairs in the living room that flank a solid colored sofa. Or, brighten up your kitchen with an Ultra Violet stool seat.
• Ultra Violet is a sophisticated colour and works well with gold or copper accents. 
• All shades of purples mesh together marvelously, so feel free to explore this line of colouring.

More:

1. Visit ourUltra Violet pinterest board for more inspiration. We’ve gathered for you a large collection of different rooms, artworks and ideas on pinterest that feature different shades of this tranquil and cheerful colour and we hope you find some inspiration among them. 
2. View artworks for purple interiors. See our collection of hand picked artworks we think would work well in a green environment. 
3. View purple coloured artworks.