This undated publicity photo provided by Z Gallerie shows multi-colored picture frames. Intensely colored accessories add punch to spring decor (www.zgallerie.com). Offset the intensity with crisp white or darker hues that will simultaneously tone them down while showing them off. (AP Photo/Z Gallerie)
May 22, 2013 - 7:47 AM
The neon brights that peppered the 1980s are back, in fashion and décor. Highlighter hues and glow-in-the-dark tints provide a shot of adrenaline after a few seasons of mellow, mushroom-y colour palettes.
Of course, these colours aren't for everyone. But if you're ready to play, here are some fun options and expert advice on how to go sassy but stylish.
Tanika Nayak, an interior designer and shelter-show host on HGTV and the Food Network, loves bright hues. She says the key is to make them look up-to-the-minute and not circa 1983.
"Use neon in small doses," she advises. "You don't want to blind anyone. My favourite use of neon is against a crisp white backdrop. In a dining room, start with a glass table, white walls and pop it with bold colorful neon dinnerware, placemats, and vases — affordable and fun! If you dare to go even bolder, use neon print accent chairs."
Nayak says balance is everything when working with these powerhouse hues.
"If you have a big, colorful personality and really want that bedroom or bathroom to glow, then go ahead and paint the entire room with your bold colour. But balance it with white, black, grey or even a pastel. For example, a bedroom painted in bold green neon can work if the bedding, rug and window treatments offset it with a calming white and/or a pale soft blue," she suggests.
Take the same tack with a bathroom; add light-colored towels and mat to cool things down.
HomeGoods has some well-priced accessories, like bright orange and green ottomans, a ceramic lamp in citrus, a large selection of colorful kitchen tools and mirrored decorative boxes. www.homegoods.com
Brooke Jones offers an array of tangerine-hued home accessories at her online shop. A little elephant and a set of dinosaur-topped jars are part of the collection.
Jones says, "I want to make colour accessible to everyone. Painting a wall a bright colour might not be realistic, but people can still bring in that fun, bright pop of the unexpected through home accessories. I hope my work inspires people to take chances and not take decorating too seriously." www.etsy.com/shop/juxtapositionsc
Los Angeles-based designer Byron Samayoa's laser-cut coasters embossed with elemental information were not initially intended to be neon acrylic. "The coasters found their way to neon via the creative process — my original Idea was to start with a wood set and a clear acrylic set, but every time I went back to my samples, the neon ones always stood out from the rest." http://shop.bplusshop.com/
Canadian textile artist Christine Skaley Reid works out of her studio in Mission, British Columbia, creating eclectic throw pillows in colour-banded and right-on-trend '70s-style floral prints. Fuchsia and pink set the trendy tone. www.etsy.com/shop/pillowthrowdecor
At Z Gallerie, find several great pieces in a zingy chrome yellow, including Mariposa candleholders, the Palmer ceramic stool and Pasadena picture frames. www.zgallerie.com
Zazzle.com has a great group of photographic rose prints called the Neon Collection, tinted in sapphire, lime and purple. www.zazzle.com
And if you're up for outfitting your home office in some pumped-up hues, consider CB2's Go-cart furniture series, which includes a rolling cart, bookcase, task lamp and desk in vibrant yellow or orange powder-coated steel. The Eclipse pillow features kaleidoscopic mod petals, and the Ska pillow has a pattern of persimmon-on-white abstract figures a la Keith Haring. www.cb2.com
News from © The Associated Press, 2013