Imagining Magenta

For years there was an obsession with paprika color here. Paprika crept beyond just being sprinkled on hummus, and onto our dining room walls and our guest room walls. But I’m moving’ on. You know how you get a tingle when there’s a new exciting obsession starting? Magenta is doing that for me right now. Of course there might be other things in life more exciting than a color, but this blog is safe for work reading …

So let’s talk about color! Magenta lives between pink and purple. It captures imaginations around the world, as you can see on this Pinterest board:

Follow India pied-à-terre’s board Color – Magenta on Pinterest.

Magenta can be bright, or it can be darker, mysterious, murky. Our house colors have leaned closer to murky than bright. I’m okay with some mysterious color – that’s more interesting to me than clear colors. But too much murky gets moody. So lately I’m craving some lightness and brightness.

We recently tiled the basement floor, and the room is really beige. Beige walls. Beige floors. It will stay that way because we might decide to pitch a “for sale” sign on the lawn. But all the beigeness is too much like living inside a Thomas English Muffin. So not fun. There’s a reason why you always put things on Thomas English Muffins! Who eats them plain?

So I’ve been pinning ideas for basement rug carpets. And when you pin, if you’re disciplined and true to what’s drawing your eye, you might see a trend pop up on your board:

So, hmmmm. Magenta is there in nearly every photo. Pink is too though I’m not looking for pink — the basement is becoming the man cave media room and there’s an excited husband in this house who’s picking out his hi-fi media stuff. For me, it’s the combo of deeper magenta with neutral colors and a touch of black that’s interesting. (Like, what’s interesting about plain black speakers??) I can see a rug with these colors will tie together the furniture that will wind up in the basement. Because you know basements tend to become the dumping grounds for furniture you don’t want to use elsewhere in the house. Then you have to make it work.

In my imagination, magenta will make it work! And add the color I’m craving for this beige English Muffin room. It’s like spreading raspberry jam all over the muffin.