Designing with Neo Mint

Foreseeing the future is never easy, but experts at the World's Global Style Network (WGSN) use social media, popular culture, data mining and street fashion to bring businesses the styles of tomorrow today. Gazing through a pastel-tinted crystal ball, the colour experts at WGSN declare Neo Mint the trendsetting colour for 2020.

The colour has great retro appeal, instantly evoking kinder and gentler times, while still resonating today, representing renewed interest in both science and environment with a shade that's also gender-neutral, a mid-point between feminine and masculine hues.

New decade, new influences

There's something about the turn into a new year, a new decade, new century that sparks an urge for renewal in many people and, of course, there's often a point where the charm of past décor schemes evaporates, and it's usually unrelated to calendar milestones. Keying in oncoming trends helps keep interiors fresh.

Followers of style may know that Pantone's 2019 colour of the year was coral, for which Neo Mint is an ideal complementary hue. There's a logical forward progression for younger designers who don't have the retro association with pastel greens that older decorators may carry, though contemporary takes on styles like Mid-Century Modern and Art Nouveau may inform the connections.

Incorporating Neo Mint

Walls

There's a trickle-down effect to trends that suggests rushing to re-paint an entire room Neo Mint may be premature. Large expanses of this colour can create an institutional feel without strong attention to breaking up visual spaces.

A feature wall in Neo Mint may be a better way to ease into the trend, particularly if you indulged in millennial pink and want to dial back its influence. The two colours play off each other well, so a single mint wall in an otherwise pink room provides a counterpoint balance. 

Minty wall coverings with discrete geometrics or pinstripes may also break up that hospital ward impression in full-wall applications.

Neo Mint serves as a terrific backdrop for darker shades of green, from artwork to potted plants. The juxtaposition of greens presents a hip spin on a monochromatic approach. It also sets off darker natural tones well. Brown leathers, weathered boards, bronze and brass all sit well in front of a Neo Mint wall.

Fabrics

The calming nature of Neo Mint make it a light and refreshing choice for bed linens. Again, layers of varied hue density create striking impressions. If it's time to refresh your linen closet, plush, oversize Neo Mint towels are sure to be a hit after a bath or shower.

Upholstery can give even conventional furniture designs a mid-century edge, simply by virtue of the pastel green colour. Low-backed chairs and sofas accent the effect. 

However, Neo Mint shows enough versatility to assert itself in busier design styles as well. Simple panel drapes in this hue can be the splash of colour in a minimalist setting or a fabric feature in a shabby chic collection.

A versatile new addition

Because of its pastel nature, Neo Mint blends well as an accessory flourish in many colour schemes. It's equally at home with corals, pinks and terra cottas as it is with azures and aquas. Neutral builder's paint in a rental unit invites a colourizing splash perfectly suited for Neo Mint. It can even surface in retro appliances, backsplashes and bathroom tiles.

Source: Unsplash

Ultra-contemporary, retro or retro-futuristic, Neo Mint is a trend that puts a new spin on a familiar and comfortable shade. It's perhaps a perfect opportunity to gently jump ahead of the curve with a design statement that whispers rather than screams.

Source: Realtor.ca