Orange is Hot…and Way Cool!

Published: October 4th, 2012

“What awaits behind the orange doors?” reads the caption to the Parker Palm Springs Hotel website.   Indeed, during a recent trip to Palm Springs, I saw the color orange popping up like cactus flowers – full of fun and surprise.  Here, the typical mid-century modern home poses the same question.

At sunrise and sunset, it surrounds you as it lights the mountains.

Trendy restaurants in town, like Trio, brand themselves with this hot color as if to say, “WAY cool!”

In Palm Springs, orange is timeless because it is a specific response to the surroundings.  The vibrant hue stands up to the dry climate and dramatic mountain topography.  It’s the perfect accent to bright blue skies, white-hot sun and ever-changing earth tones.  Orange embodies all the optimism, health, youth and sexiness of a city defined by mid-century modernism and wealth.

Now, in the age of Mad Men, martinis and retro hair, the mid-century aesthetic infuses the design world, and the color orange is its calling card.  Check out the chairs that Mad Men character Roger Sterling passes by:

Even Lamborghinis are going luxurious orange:

So is it any surprise that orange is turning heads in interior design as well?

The color orange, timeless in Palm Springs, creates a mid-century buzz anywhere.  In just the right setting and with the perfect form, I love what orange can do!