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Is purple making a comeback in interior design?
More so than any other colour, purple arguably had its high point in the past. Specifically, 2,000-odd years ago, when it was the colour most associated with Roman imperial prestige, thanks to the fact its dye was the most expensive to produce. Ever since, it has been a bold choice to use in interior design – one that goes well, perhaps, with the sumptuous gilded hallways and state rooms of palaces and hunting lodges but which might gel less happily with more understated, modern tastes.
For a few years, then, purple has felt like a bit of a risk. Counterintuitively, it can be both too bold and too dark, too rich and also too dominating of a space. Just because something’s a risk, though, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth experimenting with and taking a chance on – after all, our Top 100 designers are lauded for their ability to pull off design coups as much as for their willingness to follow a client’s brief. And some colour psychologists recommend purple as a good statement colour choice precisely for its surprising, regal connotations – not least to make an impression on guests in an entrance hall.
So we’ll leave it up to you to decide, with the help of a handful of excellent examples of purple design from the House & Garden archive: is purple making a comeback?