Is This the Most Flattering Paint Color Ever? Designers Say Yes
Last month, Benjamin Moore revealed its 2020 Color of the Year, and it's one that sparked a bit of surprise in the design world. First Light is, essentially, a hue that's been everywhere the last few years—a soft rosy blush that's a close relative of what some have dubbed "Millennial Pink." But the truth is, far before the hubbub around First Light, and even before the term Millennial Pink was coined, there was another color that designers had quietly been touting for years for its ability to cast the perfect glow: Tissue Pink.
Designer Thomas O'Brien has called it "the most flattering," and used it in everything from clients' living rooms to the headquarters of his own Aero Studios.
"People are surprised how often I use pink," O'Brien says. "But it is such a flattering and soothing color. It’s the perfect choice for a bedroom or office. It’s clean and classic, and makes everything look wonderful."
Everything and everyone: "It's flattering to all skin tones," says Lexi Tallisman of Greyscale Interiors. "Everyone looks good in a pink room!" Indiana designer Amanda Lantz of Lantz Collective echoes her sentiment nearly exactly: "Everyone looks pretty in it," she tells me.
As New Jersey designer Gail Davis muses, "It's masculine and feminine at the same time. It's cozy and powerful."
Charleston-based Matthew Bees is, too: "It's such a great shade," he says. "It makes me think of soft pink light bulbs and Shelby from Steel Magnolias' wedding of 'blush and bashful.' What's not to love?!"
If any naysayers are thinking a blush living room sounds like...a statement (or too much like a wedding color palette), that's the great thing about Tissue Pink: Despite its appearance in a paint can, in practice it reads less like a pink and more like a neutral. This is especially true for my fellow maximalists—against a multitude of colors, Tissue Pink fades into the background in the most perfectly understated way.
"Because it has no blue in it, it doesn't read purple at night like some other soft pinks," points out New York designer Lilse McKenna. Camila Pavone agrees: "It's not a true pink," she says. "It works as a neutral because it leans more peach/fleshy. It's basically an updated version of beige." Stephanie Woodmansee of Henry & Co. Design reaches for the color just as readily in a little girl's room as a family living room (see above). "I'm such a fan," she says.
Since my living room has both molding on the bottom third of the wall as well as crown molding (confession: that's 99% of the reason I fell in love with the apartment), I opted to paint just the space between the two, with a stark white offsetting the pink on those parts.
The color is notably striking as a backdrop to darker furniture—and, since I'm a millennial who proudly owns many antiques (yes, even—gasp!—brown furniture!) that works perfectly. And for those of us who love to entertain (🙋🏼♀️), "it is fabulous in candlelight, so great for the frequent host," says Dallas designer Joshua Pickering.
So go on, paint your home pink–trust me, you won't regret it.
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