YOU MAKE ME BLUSH!

When we hear the word blush, several definitions come to mind. Probably the one many people think of is the reaction to something embarrassing. The skin tone becomes more red and deeper in tone than its regular color. This is the result of the blood rushing to the skins surface. Also blush is a classification of wine. A blush wine is not as heavy in body as a traditional red, but has more color than a white wine.
For the floral industry, Blush is a color tone that is often used in reference when talking about the range between white and pink. Blush is a ‘cosmetic color’ that references a skin tone. Blush is a warmer shade than white with pink and peach being its undertone. Cosmetic colors such as blush are usually easier to work with as the color becomes friendlier to other colors since there is not as much sharp contrast that appears when working with white.
The classic line from the movie Steel Magnolias is when Shelby describes her wedding colors as Blush and Bashful. Her mother is quick to correct her to say her colors are pink and pink, But as we know, Blush is a whisper or tint of pink. As with many colors, dress colors come in and out of fashion. Such is the case with the color Blush. We have been seeing more and more fashionista’s appearing on red carpets and award shows wearing this next year’s fashion forward color. As with most fashion, once they are shown on the movie stars or public figures, these same colors become more popular with the masses. We in the floral industry watch women’s fashion colors closely as this is a barometer for the interior design industry. Historically, what women wear and embrace in wardrobe tends to be a good indicator as to what colors they will use in home décor the following year. Blush makes a great background pallet to layer many stronger colors on top of. Layering is this year’s fashion influence. It is about combining several layers of colors, textures and even fragrances with each other to achieve a totally personal look.
Blush works almost as a neutral pallet that is very friendly to work with colors such as those found in the coral, shrimp, peach, and honeysuckle family. The reason they work together is that they all have one thing in common and that is they are all derivatives of the red family. Adding orange in some amount of percentage and making the color a tint (by adding white) a tone (by adding gray) or a shade (by adding gray) gives us these fashion colors. It is important to know where colors fall on the color wheel so you can make the appropriate suggestions when it comes to weddings, events and home décor settings. Playing with colors is fun and very personal. Some clients play it safe by going more monochromatic in their color choice. One color (mono means one)(chroma means color) is a sophisticated and often understated color presentation. Other clients might be a little bolder and use three to five colors next to each other on the color wheel. This color harmony is called an analogous color harmony. This harmony gives a wider range of colors to work with, but all collections have a primary and secondary color present in the combination. For those clients who want to make a stronger statement when using colors, complimentary color harmonies work the best. These are colors that are found on the opposite side of the color wheel. Red and green, orange and blue, yellow and violet are examples of this color harmony. It makes a strong, bold statement.
Working with color is your way as a designer to personalize just about any event or home interior. Color is the number one element that a person recognizes and has an immediate reaction to so use colors such as Blush to your advantage.