Inspire me
Pantone Colour of the Year 2023: Viva Magenta
In our vibe-obsessed era, it's all about standing out. Following Pantone's announcement of their Colour of the Year for 2023, we're taking you on an exploration of this powerful, nature-inspired shade through extraordinary art and impactful interior inspiration.
Erin Peacock
Sunday 1 January, 2023
Every year since we collectively hit the big 2-0-0-0, Pantone have shared their Colour of the Year to the world with increasing popularity and influence. Predictions start well in advance, with designers and marketers from all around the globe excited to get a first glimpse at the colour trend forecasts for the upcoming year.
To make their choice, experts at Pantone study existing colour trends, consider the big impact topics of the time and even take influence from social media. The chosen colour aims to speak to the world in a particular moment of time, just in the same way an artwork can speak to a particular moment of your life.
Join us on a deep dive into Pantone’s Colour of the Year and discover how you can introduce their empowering, vibrant new shade into your home for 2023.
All About Viva Magenta
Safe to say, we’re pretty pleased with 2023’s choice. At Affordable Art Fair, we live our lives in the so-coined ‘Magentaverse’, so we’re very happy to see our main brand colour get some time in the spotlight.
PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta is rooted in nature and, specifically, the power of the natural world. This is a strong shade that signifies fearlessness and self-expression. A staple of the red family, its rebellious spirit and nuanced approach to pink strives towards a future full of promise and joy, which we’re very much here for as we head into our Spring fair season.
So, what does all this mean for your interiors and ever-growing art collections?
Introduce Viva Magenta into your home
Even to the seasoned maximalist, Viva Magenta is a lot. It’s bold, striking and statement-making. Depending on your own personal aesthetic, this shade is going to take over your life in very different ways. Whether it’s a rich accent, vibrant wall refresh or stand-out artwork, here’s how you might introduce Pantone’s latest Colour of the Year into your home.
Accessorise around your art
By using a new or existing artwork in your collection as a focal point, you can begin to roll in the magenta tones through complementary home accessories. We love how Susi Bellamy (@susibellamy) has used the fractal, matching patterns of her cushion and lampshade combo to emphasise the luxe-look of the traditional, gilded frames hanging here.
With their modern twist on the traditional, one of Haus of Lucy’s prints would be a winner hung alongside some Viva Magenta textiles. Opting for the rebellious take on the English Romantic style gives a nod to the regal and luxurious interior trends that are going to take over 2023, whilst also nailing the palette we’re all lusting after.
New Year, new walls
Start the year with a statement by giving your walls a colourful refresh. If you’ve been looking for a sign to take the plunge, this is it. Follow in the fashionable footsteps of Katie Ridder (@katieridderinc) and be inspired to bring your home spaces into the Magentaverse. Here, they’ve utilised blue as a contrastingly cool colour to balance out the impact of the walls. Very smart. Green will also give extra life to a darker pink shade, especially as it sits opposite on the colour wheel and comes directly from Mother Nature herself. As the saying famously goes: pink and green should always be seen.
Snatch the look with a Cyanotype print from Rosie Emerson which incorporates absorbing blue tones and sharp white lines to stand out even on the pinkest of pink walls. Perhaps a blue-themed salon hang is in order? A living room space is the ideal spot to get creative with this colour, being a place to entertain, relax, chat with friends or maybe even work. Magenta just makes all of these things better.
It’s all in the art
Let the art do the talking by investing in artworks that make trends timeless. Although it’s great to see Viva Magenta in her thrive era, she’s always been a beauty and has long captured artistic attention. There’s no need to worry, this colour isn’t going anywhere. Even amongst the maximal detail and incredible colour frenzy, your eyes are drawn to the magenta details in the artworks above the classic olive wood panelling in the interior of @colourmadetheroom. See, it’s all in the art!
We’re particularly loving Dawn Beckles’ (@dawn_beckles) use of Pantone’s freshest pick. We’ve been keeping a beady eye on her socials to get a glimpse at what might be in store at our Spring Battersea Fair with Will’s Art Warehouse. A scroll through her feed is pure magenta joy.
With so many incredible artists and galleries lined up to exhibit at 13 (and counting!) fairs this year, we can’t wait to see how many magenta and magenta-adjacent artworks creep into the displays over the course of 2023. Keep ’em peeled.
ICYMI
Pantone aren’t the only colour experts fawning over the power of pink. In October, Mylands announced their very own Colour of the Year to unleash some Barbiecore charm on our interiors. Their FT-006™ shoot sees some familiar Affordable Art Fair faces gracing the hot pink walls. Its character is playful and unique, making it a great mood-booster when paired with some extraordinary artworks.
Double up on pink-spiration with a contemporary print from Marcelina Amelia, whose new work has taken an earthy lean that would really suit Mylands’ poppier take on this trend. You can see several of her pieces in this super fun living room set up and office space, which is quite possibly the Zoom background goal of goals.
So, that settles it, pink is going to be everywhere this year. However you feel about this characterful hue, its versatility is impossible to ignore. Luckily, we’ve got a packed calendar of Affordable Art Fairs this year for you to discover the next artwork to bless your collection.
Whether you’re planning on curating your own Magentaverse at home, or simply want to immerse yourself within the all-pink haven of our fairs, take the opportunity to introduce magenta into your life through extraordinary, timeless art.
Main image: Fei Alexeli, Three White Palm Trees, Digital print, 40cm x 60cm, Liberty Gallery