Thursday, May 21, 2020

The Question of Peach

Mario Bautta

In spite of my love for color, there are several colors I am not drawn to, and peach is among them. I adore pink, including coral pink, but not peach. There is a reason for this. Peach is an ugly color. And it's not just me. According to House Beautiful, peach is one of the colors to be avoided in your home.

"Even though it was popular in the '60s, today this color quickly dates a house. And when it comes to color psychology, (interior designer Heather) Humphrey says it's uplifting in small ways (like home accessories), but is mood-crushing when it covers too big of a surface."

Of course with Mario Buatta's impeccable eye, he could find the perfect shade of peach like the staircase above. He could find the perfect shade of anything. And so could Jackie. Unfortunately, I am finding that peach homes are so much more common here than pink. Yikes.

Jackie Kennedy

I found a very pretty home in Venice online, but the exterior is peach and every single room in the house is peach. Even the tile in all the bathrooms. Even the tile roof. That's a whole lot of peach going. on. I love a pink stucco home, and a coral pink stucco home, but not a peach stucco home. I know I can paint any house I buy, which I will likely end up doing. But in deeded communities, you end up dealing with the whole dreaded Architectural Review Committee when you want to make any change whatsoever. Changing from peach to pink, OH MY! let's debate this in our committee for 6 months.

Robin Weiss - Traditional Home - Benjamin Moore Ballet Slippers - gorgeous!

Sherwin Williams New Coral - gorgeous!

A Venice home in peach - ghastly

And this house above in peach has been on the market for 405 days in a hot market. So interesting to me how nuanced color is - a slight tweak from coral to peach and it goes from beautiful to ugly.

Just Say No


17 comments:

  1. Agreed. Peach houses look dusty and hot for some reason. It doesn't possess any of the joy or playfulness that pink has either. Here in northern California we have huge subdivisions with rows upon rows of peach McMansions with terracotta roofs. I don't understand the appeal.

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    1. Me neither. Here a lot of the new construction is brown which I also dislike.

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  2. Hate peach! Mario or no Mario, it is just plain ugly. But when you buy a house you're going to have to paint the inside no matter what.

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    1. Yes, I agree on painting the interior, but would hate to buy a deeded peach house and have a battle over a pink exterior. And tile roofs are very expensive to replace - this one was $50,000.

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  3. You are so right, Beth. My painter-sister warned me years ago that peach "browns out" when used in large spaces. That's why designers use it sparingly and for smaller items--e.g., silk peach pillow on a sofa.

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    1. Yes, as Jeannine mentioned above, it looks dusty, which sucks the light and the life out of a room.

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  4. Not a fan of peach, don't have anything peachy at home or in my wardrobe. But then I am not a fan of purple (lavender, yes) or certain shades of green or yellow. Just a tiny bit of shift one way or another can make a color a winner or a looser for any one of us.

    Same with peach. I realized that when I spend a few weeks in the Lake Como area and saw all the beautiful villas perched on the water, with every shade of peachy/pinky/coralish facade imaginable and it was stunning. I guess it all depends....context is just as important as the choices we make.

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    1. I agree entirely about purple and certain yellows and greens. I think the problem is with peach that is washed out orange with beige undertones as opposed to pink.

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  5. I AM WITH YOU !!!!!!!!
    PEACH WAS USED A LOT IN THE 1970's TOO!!!!!!!!!!
    LOVE LOVE LOVE PINK!!!!!!!!
    DID YOU KNOW PINK MAKES YOU WANT TO EAT?!I live close to SAN FRANCISCO and in a department store back in THE DAYS there was a PINK WALLED EATING AREA called BLUMS!IT WORKED and they also sold chocolates!IT WAS STUNNING with the PINK BOOTHS!
    I hope you will meander over to my blog this week...........as I want to know why we see MINDFULNESS SO MUCH!!!!
    CIAO ,XX

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    1. Oh that sounds so pretty! I will check out your blog. Thank you.

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  6. Peach in a Florida interior?! Only if you're one of the Golden Girls! And only if you throw in some 80's mauve and washed out teal abstract chintz to go with it.

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    1. Exactly - but I would love a mid century modern Golden Girls house and completely redo it.

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  7. I like a bit of peach when combined with autumn colours in upholstery , but not walls as that is just toooo much for me ....I would never wear peach as a dress etc ... not my colouring.
    Could you paint the roofing tiles? I know we did and I live in the heat of Australia.

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    1. Interesting idea, but with many of these houses the style of the tile is dated and many are nearing end of useful life, so it probably makes more sense to re-roof.

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  8. I remember Blum's - the restaurant La Contessa is talking about! My mom used to take me there when I was a little girl. Wasn't it located in Macy's? What wonderful memories. Thank you, Contessa, for bringing back this wonderful memory. There is also a lovely brasserie/restaurant in the Mayfair district of London that serves tea, which is also pink, called Sketch.

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  9. You are so right Beth!

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  10. I suppose the majority have not traveled through Europe, the Caribbean, or Bermuda and seen the many shades pink, coral, and peach.
    After staying in so many great peachy pink hotels like The royal Hawaiian, The Beverly Hills Hotel, and several throughout Europe, I painted my historic home peach over 30 years ago. Monet’s Giverny sealed the deal at the time.
    When I ask folks if it’s time to change, everyone says absolutely not, the house would not be the same.
    I love pastel pink houses too, but just the right peach, if done well, can be a classic.

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