Color Chart: The Joys Of An Orange Home

SOURCE: Sotheby’s

Our monthly series asks: How do you bring color into a luxury home? Zingy orange is a palette cleanser—and works well with a dash of greenery, writes Jill Krasny

Ever notice how some homes put you at ease while others seem to jolt you awake? The colors in a design scheme may have something to do with it. Whereas soft shades of pink tend to lower the heart rate, green clears your mind and citrus shades can make you feel energized. For the first installment of our new series on color in luxury homes, we’re examining orange—that zingy, punchy hue that makes a space feel energising, warm and playful.   

“There’s a time and a place for orange,” says Jasmin Reese, an interior designer based in Chicago. “A lot of people think their skin tone doesn’t look good against orange. But I think it gives you a nice glow and it’s a riveting color.” She suggests plenty of ways to harness it, such as painting the underside of kitchen cabinets an Hermès color reminiscent of its gift box; or enlivening a room with orange-colored artwork or throw pillows.

A 1995 adobe house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, looks truly sunbaked and offers a chance to experiment with complimentary hues to orange, like calming blue and green. The expansive living room, with its raw wood-beamed ceilings and coral hexagon tiles, would look smart with a blue accent chair, window treatment or rug, says Reese. “Greenery is always a nice way to bring the outdoors in,” and plants will complement the light orange of the dining area. 

As a secondary hue, orange feels softer than primary colors such as red and yellow. However, it’s best not overused, warns Reese, as it can feel “repetitive and too muddy overall.” Paired with dark floors, it can all too easily scream Halloween.

A striking villa minutes from downtown Papeete, on Tahiti, stands out with its tangerine exterior. The sculptural staircase also makes a statement, as does the living room painted a cheerful orange red. To help the artwork stand out, Reese suggests contrasting the walls bright white. “You may as well just commit,” she says of the azure-colored bedroom.

Meanwhile, a minimalist home in Akrotiri, on the island of Paros, almost blends into the rustic landscape with its terracotta exterior. “You’re kind of enveloped in it,” Reese says of the arresting color, which extends throughout the outdoor spaces and communal areas. Very little is needed to enhance this luxury space, though Reese suggests introducing sheer window treatments in linen or cotton to the sitting room, imagining soft, layered lighting playing across it at night.

SOURCE: Sotheby’s