Hot Look for 2017: Poppy Pastels

We’ve got a candy crush on these ’80s hues.

The Look: Candy Crush Interiors

“The ’80s are influencing accent colours, with pale pinks and pastel green appearing in furniture and accessories.”—Megan Baker, Project 22 design, Vancouver

Each person on our design panel hit on an element of this powerful ’80s revival, but saw it manifesting in different ways. What Alykhan Velji calls “Miami circa 1982,” Karin Bohn affectionately termed “grandma chic.” The whole look revolves around a throwback palette of milky pastels, which started with Pantone’s 2016 Colours of the Year, Rose Quartz and Serenity Blue. It’s trickling down into everything from furniture to accessories, and Bohn sees it pushing into ’90s clash territory next with lime green, dusty burgundy and hits of copper and rose gold. Ceramic pots and tableware come back with a pop-y modern update alongside translucent candy-coloured vessels destined for the coffee table. “Geometric patterns—triangle shapes in particular—are the style of choice in 2017 for metal furniture,” says Megan Baker of Project 22 Design; look for them in accent chairs, wire baskets and bowls. Big floral murals add a painterly touch, but, overall, patterns will be downplayed and replaced with pastel shades against brass accents and surprises like camel-coloured leather. This look can skew SoCal mid-century (minimalist modern furniture, ample whites) or more Miami Art Deco (geometrics, glass accents and velvets).

“Velvets are making a big comeback in design. Rich upholstery and drapery in this classic fabric provide just the right hit of dramatic sophistication toany space.” —Alykhan Velji, Alykhan Velji Designs, Calgary

Key Colours: The Palette

Inspiring Interior: Poppy Pastel Living Room

Vancouver designer Stephanie Brown proves that a youthful pastel palette can look fabulously grown-up with brass accents, velvet and natural stone.

Key Pieces to Get This Look

1. Brass and camel-coloured leather team up with pink for a fresh twist on milky pastels. Field Days ($60) and Lilith pillows ($63) make a great duo. crateandbarrel.com

2. Zoë Pawlak’s Taken rug (a collaboration with Burritt Bros., $10,868 for 8×10) translates splashes of candy colours like blush and dusty blue into everlasting neutrals. burrittfloors.com

3. Vancouver’s Lindsey Hampton is killing it with her speckle-clay ceramics in playful pastels—the mugs, the plates, these vessels (pot from $150, vase from $175)—we want it all. vanspecial.com

4. Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola brings us back to the future with her iridescent Shimmer console table ($2,031). informinteriors.com

5. The coloured Mercury candleholders ($5 to $19 each) are low-commitment opportunities to perk up tables and ledges. westelm.ca

6. A bold decade calls for bold lighting. We love the cubism-inspired Kazimir wall sconce ($2,790) from Ladies and Gentlemen Studio, which combines textured glass and matte metals. lightform.ca

7. Sumptuous and sultry, the Jonathan Adler Charade capsule daybed ($2,750) is palatable glamour with just the right amount of gilded glitz. theartworks.ca