Every season is defined by one particular colour that pops up everywhere — in interiors and fashion. This season orange is the vibrant tone that will feature in clothes, furniture and decor.
Use orange on its own as a striking statement, or as a highlight colour to add brightness.
50 shades of orange
Orange comes in many shades — the dusky spiciness of saffron all the way to the youthful vigour of cadmium orange, it’s a colour that offers unlimited possibilities. From sultry cinnamon to sherbet-bright tangerine, this colour can work in every home.
If you’ve never explored orange before, you might be wondering how you can make it work. One of the real advantages of orange is that there are so many different shades, it’s easy to find one that complements your furnishings and style.
Take the sophisticated tints of bronze, rust, spice, cinnamon, burnt orange and terracotta. These exotic shades work perfectly if you prefer a hue that isn’t quite as bright, but you still want to be in vogue.
At the opposite extreme, peach, apricot and melon are gentle, soothing and easy on the eye, perfect for adding a touch of elegance and a nod to the season’s trending colour.
And for those who dare, orange can be vivid, fiery and magnificent. Think glorious sunsets and pumpkins — it is a colour that’s bursting with energy and vitality.
The colour of nature
Whatever shade you choose for your home, orange is a colour that connects us to nature in many ways, an earthy tone that is balancing, calming and reinvigorating simultaneously.
Orange is the shade most associated with autumn, from the sweetness of carrots and the golden glow of the leaves as they change colour to the flickering lights of pumpkin lanterns seen everywhere during Halloween.
Terracotta pumpkins from Holloways — the permanent solution to Halloween lanterns.
Seville Orange
Using orange around your home is a great way to create a natural, organic charm to your interior design. Our Seville chair has the simple lines of mid-century modern design, and is not only comfortable, but has a wholesome and pure elegance. A true orange that is rich without being overwhelming, this warming shade would be the perfect statement chair in any room.
The Holloways Seville chair is available in many other colours.
Indulge yourself
Catwalk style takes its inspiration from the world around us and this has never been truer than with this year’s orange tones. Drink in the vibrant shade with your eyes, and enjoy the flavour of delicious seasonal oranges too.
Orange and Coriander Drizzle Cake from The Glasshouse Café
One of our favourite Glasshouse Café cakes is this Orange and Coriander Drizzle Cake. Enjoy it in your own home with this easy recipe:
Ingredients
- One orange (large)
- 175g softened butter
- 175g caster sugar
- 150g self-raising flour
- 50g polenta
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
Decorative ingredients
- 1 orange
- 100g icing sugar
- 50g golden caster sugar
Instructions to make
- Heat the oven to 170 F/190 C/Gas Mark 5. Grease and line a 22cm loose-bottomed tin.
- Place an orange whole in a pan of water, boil and then simmer until it is soft and can be pierced easily. Remove and leave to cool. Once cooled, slice into 8 chunks and remove the pips.
- Put the sugar into a pan and add the orange chunks and 100ml of water. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves and then bring to the boil, simmering for approximately 10 minutes. Take off heat. Once the orange has started to cool, thoroughly pulp.
- Using a pestle and mortar, crush the coriander seeds to a fine powder. Add the crushed coriander seeds and the polenta to the pulped orange mixture and stir thoroughly.
- Place the eggs, flour, baking powder and butter in a bowl and add in the orange and polenta mixture. Using an electric mixture, blend thoroughly. Spoon into the tin and bake in the oven until springy to the touch, approximately 35-40 minutes.
- When done, the cake should be starting to move away from the sides of the tin and be pale in colour. Set on a wire rack to cool.
Instructions to make
- Peel and then shred half the zest from the orange.
- Dissolve the caster sugar in 100ml of water by heating gently in a saucepan before adding the shredded orange zest and bringing to the boil.
- Simmer until the orange zest is soft and then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Wait until the cake feels cool and then sift the icing sugar into a clean bowl.
- Juice the orange and add a sufficient quantity to make an icing that is runny. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake before scattering with the orange shreds.
- Eat and enjoy!
Image Credits: indigitalimages.com
