Trend Tuesday: Turquoise takes a compliment…”Hey you look good with red!”

Sure, we can tell you Turquoise is a hot color this year or that white is the trendiest neutral, but those pieces of information don’t offer all the details you need in order to incorporate these hues into your home, wardrobe, or life. Unless you plan on wearing turquoise from head to toe or decorating a room in only one color, what you really need is the inspiration of color combinations.

Just as we “fondly” remember Avocado and it’s cohorts, Harvest Gold and Rust (we may be rolling our eyes or laughing now, but we have to admit we thought it was pretty cool back then), we desire a color scheme staring our freshest hue being supported by colors that offer contrast and create a pleasing atmosphere. If you’ve been following us, you’ll know that I’ve been featuring the turquoise and red combination for holiday decor in the Trend Tuesday posts Colorful Christmas Tablescapes and Fall Tabletop Decor. Now it’s time to bring this colorway to life for your interior and carry it though the whole year.

I love this combination because it breaks the color harmony rule of direct complements, and who doesn’t like breaking rules to end up with beautiful results! Directly across the color wheel from red is green, and blue or blue-green sits orange or red-orange.  Taking the complement a step or two off creates a fun and unexpected designer style.

Contrast is key in this combo, the complement colors are already giving off a color contrast, but within the individual color there’s another level of contrast being created, value contrast from light to dark. You’ll notice in the rooms below that the value of turquoise varies from very light to very bold, but that the red pretty much remains the same. This offers versatility with “the color of the year.”

Southern Living keeps to it’s traditional take on decor showing how easy it is to incorporate these trendy hues into any style.

Turquoise already has a retro connotation. Pairing it with red and inserting retro details and decor, but with modern conveniences, plays to the great design and craftsmanship of mid-century style.

The clear acrylic table appears to be melting, but interestingly mimics the octopus pattern of the fabric. The natural fiber rug adds to the coastal take on this combination.

The addition of yellow in this last image is particularly pleasing balancing the two primary colors red and yellow with the tertiary turquoise, then incorporating white as the backdrop neutral and green as nature’s neutral.