True colors

From graphic eye-popping Memphis-inspired furniture pieces to crayon-chromatic coats, all the colors of the rainbow are back with a vengeance. This fall, interiors and runways are welcoming back extra-bold patterns in extra bright colors. As always, the key is in mixing pieces from different eras and coming up with an original mix, as in haute interior designers Coorengel and Calvagrac’s Paris apartment, where early 19th-century  rooms dripping in period detailing come alive and become more contemporary with the use of saturated colors and iconic pieces such as a color wheel inspired by a 1970s Verner Panton rug. Today’s refrigerator box-like all-white rooms could use a little jolt of color, say from (now hip and collectible again) items by Ettore Sottsass. Closer to the body, the fashion these days are for color-blocked coats and slick sportswear in primary colors, reflecting a cool 1980s aesthetic. While the silhouettes may be more form fitting and less exaggerated than those of the ‘80s, the hues are still just as punchy. Perhaps it heralds a return to carefree, fun times in design after years on a  more somber minimalist slate. Happy days are here again!