Blush pink is a muted shade of pink that can almost, but not quite, read as a neutral. It has a nude appeal to it that is feminine but not overly so. In fact, this is a really versatile color that is used by many designers as a gender-neutral color because it lacks the vibrancy and overt girliness of most pinks and instead has some gray tones in it that give it a cool and contemporary feel.
Blush pink is a color that has descended upon the interior design and fashion world in a big way over the last decade, becoming a mainstay shade. It can be used in so many different ways to achieve different styles, and as a soft and muted shade, it works really well with a wide range of colors.
Here we look at how to use blush pink in home decor and which colors it will pair best with.
About Blush Pink
Blush pink is a dusky shade of pink that isn’t as sweet or pretty as pastel pink, so despite being a pastel shade, it doesn’t have the same connotations you might expect from other shades of pink.
The fact that this color feels like a neutral or a nude is a huge part of its popularity, as women are moving away from the idea that they should be pretty in pink. In fact, blush pink is almost seen as an ironic shade of pink, which is being used to convey the idea that pretty and intelligent can merge.
Blush pink has also been labeled as millennial pink because it speaks to a generation of people who don’t relate to the traditional associations of color. Unlike bubblegum pink, which has, for a long time, been the poster child for a ‘girl’s only’ color, blush pink is a more genderless alternative.
Blush pink also has a restorative energy that relates the millennial focus on wellness. However, despite the millennial pink label, blush pink is not a color that is new on the scene.
Blush pink was actually extremely popular during the 1980s, known as dirty pink. It was seen widely across home decor, and it was also a key color in fashion. Evidence, if you ever need it, that all colors will eventually come back into style.
Using Blush Pink in Home Decor
Accent shade
When a room feels cool or stark, for example, a space that has gray walls and lacks color, then blush pink accents will serve the function of bringing a restful energy to the room. Add pink placemats to a dining table or pink lamp shades to a bedroom.
Blush pink accents will also work well in a dark room to punctuate the space and add a softness. This would be a good color choice against navy blue walls or emerald green walls.
You can also use blush pink as an accent color in neutral bathrooms. For example, add blush pink towels to a white tiled wall to add a fresh and calm vibe to the space.
Base color
Blush pink is such a muted shade that it can work really well as an alternative to a neutral color for wall paint or wallpaper. If you want to achieve an atmosphere in a room that feels calm and restorative, but you want to move away from bland neutral shades, then opt for blush pink as the main color for your walls.
This is a shade that will work in so many color schemes, so you can easily pair your current furniture with blush pink walls. Rooms using blush pink as the dominant color will look casual with beige linen sofas or elegant with velvet mint green armchairs.
You can also make this color look striking and glamorous with black wood trim and flashy gold accessories. If solid blush pink walls don’t appeal, consider a gray wallpaper with some blush pink features applied to every wall in a room.
Textiles
Soft furnishings and textiles are an area where blush pink truly shines in home decor. This color can take on many different energies depending on the texture you choose.
For a luxurious look in a sophisticated space, choose blush pink cushions in a velvet finish or satin blush pink bed sheets. Blush pink can become more restful and casual when you use it in more natural fabrics. For example, cotton blush pink upholstery can look wholesome in a child’s room or playful in a living room.
Colors to Use with Blush Pink
Mint green
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| Blush Pink | #eca7b0 | cmyk(0%, 29%, 25%, 7%) | rgb(236, 167, 176) | |
| Mint Green | #8aae92 | cmyk(21%, 0%, 16%, 32%) | rgb(138, 174, 146) |
Mint green and blush pink have similar levels of saturation since they are both pastel shades, so they play nicely together. Use these two shades as the color theme in a bathroom for a retro or art deco vibe, or add in a third neutral color to ground the space and achieve a more contemporary look.
Mint green and blush pink are colors that will work well with white, off-white, or any cool shade of gray. This color scheme can be used to achieve a refreshing atmosphere in a room since mint green and blush pink both have restorative energy, with mint green, in particular, adding a revitalizing sense to this look.
In a kitchen with white cabinets, select mint green tiles for the backsplash and blush pink accents, such as a fruit bowl and seat pads on bar stools.
These colors can also work well in a bedroom to create a style that feels uplifting yet serene. Opt for mint green walls with blush pink cotton bed sheets and a blush pink thick pile shaggy rug.
Navy blue
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| Blush Pink | #eca7b0 | cmyk(0%, 29%, 25%, 7%) | rgb(236, 167, 176) | |
| Navy Blue | #00305c | cmyk(100%, 48%, 0%, 64%) | rgb(0, 48, 92) |
Blush pink and navy blue look really elegant and striking together because they offer up several opposites. Navy blue is dark while blush pink is light, and blue is serious while pink is playful. These elements create a look that feels interesting, but since both shades are quite muted, the resulting look will also be understated.
Use these colors in a bedroom for a dramatic yet romantic vibe, with navy blue walls and blush pink velvet curtains and other soft furnishings. The same look can be employed in a dining room, with navy blue walls and blush pink upholstered dining chairs, for a style that feels elegant yet on-trend.
You could also invert the color scheme, using navy blue accessories in a predominantly blush pink space to add some depth and ground the room.
Forest green
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| Blush Pink | #eca7b0 | cmyk(0%, 29%, 25%, 7%) | rgb(236, 167, 176) | |
| Forest Green | #324e4e | cmyk(36%, 0%, 0%, 69%) | rgb(50, 78, 78) |
Blush pink works with forest green much in the same way blush pink works with navy blue. The two colors offer a juxtaposition of light and dark, yet forest green will look more contrasting next to blush pink because it is a better match for opposite shades in terms of the color wheel.
Red is the opposite color to green on the color wheel and is, therefore, the contrasting shade, yet as pink is a whiter variation of red, it can also contrast well with green. Both forest green and blush pink are very on-trend colors in interior decor, so when used together, they look chic and contemporary.
Use these shades in a bedroom for a botanical style decor, using blush pink walls and forest green planters, and plant-themed artwork using both colors displayed on the walls in white wooden frames.
These colors can also be used to create a glamorous look; consider forest green walls and a pink velvet sofa with gold legs in a living room.
Charcoal gray
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| Blush Pink | #eca7b0 | cmyk(0%, 29%, 25%, 7%) | rgb(236, 167, 176) | |
| Charcoal Gray | #7b787e | cmyk(2%, 5%, 0%, 51%) | rgb(123, 120, 126) |
Dark gray is a good choice if you want to follow the trend for darker interiors without adding too much color to the space. Paint all walls in a room in a charcoal gray color for depth and drama, and add touches of blush pink to operate as a light in the dark.
Blush pink will stand out against a dark shade of gray and also add a playful edge to the seriousness of this color. A dark-gray room with blush pink accents will feel cozy and relaxing, as well as contemporary and stylish.
White
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| Blush Pink | #eca7b0 | cmyk(0%, 29%, 25%, 7%) | rgb(236, 167, 176) | |
| White | #ffffff | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 0%) | rgb(255, 255, 255) |
White and off-white decor is very on-trend, as a crisp and clean alternative to the warm beige neutrals. White spaces are easy to decorate since white will go with any other color, but the color you choose will determine the atmosphere since white itself lacks personality.
For a calm and casual feel in a white space, use blush pink lightweight curtains or voiles against white walls or a fluffy blush pink rug against whitewashed hardwood floors.
You could also employ a more refined look with pink accents by opting for suede blush pink curtains and a velvet blush pink upholstered sofa.
Gold
| Shade | Hex Code | CMYK Color Code (%) | RGB Color Code | Color |
| Blush Pink | #eca7b0 | cmyk(0%, 29%, 25%, 7%) | rgb(236, 167, 176) | |
| Gold | #f0d2b4 | cmyk(0%, 13%, 25%, 6%) | rgb(240, 210, 180) |
When choosing metal accents for a blush pink space, gold or gold-colored materials like brass are the best options. The warmth and elegance of gold work perfectly against blush pink to achieve an elegant look, while silver tones would make the pink look cheap or tacky. Matte gold metals will offer a more contemporary style with blush pink.
