I think it's time we gave beige a little break.
Not permanently, of course. I have nothing against a beautifully considered neutral palette. In fact, I love one, especially in my own home. But after years of cream interiors, nude basics, taupe activewear, beige manicures and product packaging in approximately forty-seven shades of oatmeal, perhaps it's time to let a little colour back into our lives.
Maybe things really gathered momentum when Kim Kardashian gave us a glimpse inside her famously minimalist home. Walls, furniture, floors all dressed in, you guessed it, beige. Or something very close to it.
Somewhere along the way, neutral became the default. The safe choice. The sophisticated choice. And that preference has found its way into almost every corner of our lives, including floral design. I can't help wondering whether we've become so concerned with everything coordinating and remaining on trend that we've forgotten how much fun colour can be.
Nature, rather amusingly, has never been particularly interested in our rules. Look closely at a garden and you'll find combinations that might never make it onto a carefully curated mood board. Hot pink growing beside orange. Purple alongside yellow. Acid green making an appearance where nobody invited it.
Flowers aren't concerned with whether their colours complement one another. They grow at different heights, overlap, twist in unexpected directions and occasionally compete for attention.
As a florist, I've spent years studying these combinations. The subtle shifts in tone, the contrast between textures and the way an unexpected colour can completely change the feeling of an arrangement. I'll admit, though, I've always leaned towards the softer side of the colour spectrum. I'm a pastel girl at heart. Give me lilacs, butter yellows and a billowing whimsical garden arrangement and I'm perfectly happy. I've always loved that romantic, effortless quality that soft flowers can bring.
Yet one of the greatest pleasures of working with different brands and creative people is discovering just how differently we all see colour. Every now and then, a client presents me with a palette that makes me pause. My first thought is often, Really? Those colours together? Then I start looking a little closer. At the flower varieties available in those shades, the unexpected combinations and the possibilities I might never have considered myself. Quite often, those are the briefs that lead to some of my favourite work.
A recent event at Rick Shores on the Gold Coast was a perfect example. The colour palette my client wanted was ruby red and cobalt blue. Two colours with absolutely no intention of quietly blending into the background. I'll admit, it wasn't a combination I would have instinctively chosen.
As the designs came together, blue hydrangeas sat beneath vivid red gerberas (yes, gerberas!), their long, curved stems creating unusual, sculptural shapes. Against the restaurant's understated interiors, the arrangements were bold, playful and quite unlike the more traditional florals we're accustomed to seeing at high-end events.
The response was wonderful. Compliments came from every direction. People were drawn to the unexpected colours, the unusual shapes and the fact that the arrangements looked a little different from what they'd seen before. What initially felt like a challenging brief became a reminder that some of the best creative work comes from stepping outside what feels familiar.
Working with people who see colour differently has pushed me to question my own preferences, explore unexpected combinations and become a better designer in the process. I've learnt that having your own aesthetic is wonderful, but being open to someone else's vision can take you somewhere far more interesting.
I'm not suggesting we all rush home and paint our living rooms cobalt blue and I'm not declaring war on beige. There will always be a place for beautiful neutrals. Maybe though, we could stop treating neutrals as the only sophisticated option.
Choose the flowers you love, even if they don't match the room. Wear the colour that makes you happy, whether it's fashionable or not. Put two shades together that you wouldn't normally consider and see what happens. Not every experiment will be a masterpiece. That's part of the fun.
And if you're ever unsure where to begin, take a look outside. Nature has been putting together extraordinary colour combinations long before we started making rules about them.
Colour is fun. And couldn't we all do with a little more of that?
Let's play a little more.
