Western Living Magazine
This Stunning Whistler Home Embraces Nature at Every Turn
Home Tour: Inside a Beachy and Beautiful Eagle Island Getaway
Home Tour: Inside Former NHL Player Dan Hamuis’s Stunning Modern Home in Northern B.C.
Recipe: Tomato Bruschetta alla Pepino’s
Recipe: Make Your Own Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Sausages This Summer
5 BC Wines Under $25 That Will Win Your Next BBQ
The Perfect Southern Alberta Getaway (If You’re Obsessed With Yellowstone)
Visiting San Juan Island? Consider a Yurt
How to Keep Your Pet Cool in a Heat Wave
‘West Coast North’ is a Love Letter to Western Canadian Architecture and Interiors
Design Obsession: This Roll-Up Drying Rack Is Maybe My Favourite Thing in the Kitchen
10 of the Hottest Homewares for Summer 2022
Announcing the 2022 Designers of the Year Finalists
You’re Invited to the Design Party of the Year!
DotY 2022: Our Judges for the Maker Category Can’t Wait to See What You’ve Got
We've got a candy crush on these '80s hues.
“The ’80s are influencing accent colours, with pale pinks and pastel green appearing in furniture and accessories.”—Megan Baker, Project 22 design, Vancouver
Each person on our design panel hit on an element of this powerful ’80s revival, but saw it manifesting in different ways. What Alykhan Velji calls “Miami circa 1982,” Karin Bohn affectionately termed “grandma chic.” The whole look revolves around a throwback palette of milky pastels, which started with Pantone’s 2016 Colours of the Year, Rose Quartz and Serenity Blue. It’s trickling down into everything from furniture to accessories, and Bohn sees it pushing into ’90s clash territory next with lime green, dusty burgundy and hits of copper and rose gold. Ceramic pots and tableware come back with a pop-y modern update alongside translucent candy-coloured vessels destined for the coffee table. “Geometric patterns—triangle shapes in particular—are the style of choice in 2017 for metal furniture,” says Megan Baker of Project 22 Design; look for them in accent chairs, wire baskets and bowls. Big floral murals add a painterly touch, but, overall, patterns will be downplayed and replaced with pastel shades against brass accents and surprises like camel-coloured leather. This look can skew SoCal mid-century (minimalist modern furniture, ample whites) or more Miami Art Deco (geometrics, glass accents and velvets).
“Velvets are making a big comeback in design. Rich upholstery and drapery in this classic fabric provide just the right hit of dramatic sophistication toany space.” —Alykhan Velji, Alykhan Velji Designs, Calgary
Vancouver designer Stephanie Brown proves that a youthful pastel palette can look fabulously grown-up with brass accents, velvet and natural stone.
1. Brass and camel-coloured leather team up with pink for a fresh twist on milky pastels. Field Days ($60) and Lilith pillows ($63) make a great duo. crateandbarrel.com
2. Zoë Pawlak’s Taken rug (a collaboration with Burritt Bros., $10,868 for 8×10) translates splashes of candy colours like blush and dusty blue into everlasting neutrals. burrittfloors.com
3. Vancouver’s Lindsey Hampton is killing it with her speckle-clay ceramics in playful pastels—the mugs, the plates, these vessels (pot from $150, vase from $175)—we want it all. vanspecial.com
4. Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola brings us back to the future with her iridescent Shimmer console table ($2,031). informinteriors.com
5. The coloured Mercury candleholders ($5 to $19 each) are low-commitment opportunities to perk up tables and ledges. westelm.ca
6. A bold decade calls for bold lighting. We love the cubism-inspired Kazimir wall sconce ($2,790) from Ladies and Gentlemen Studio, which combines textured glass and matte metals. lightform.ca
7. Sumptuous and sultry, the Jonathan Adler Charade capsule daybed ($2,750) is palatable glamour with just the right amount of gilded glitz. theartworks.ca