Pantone's color of the year for 2023: Viva Magenta! : Annie Elliott Design

I mean, I can work with it.

Dark burgundy wood close-up — KIND of pretty…?

My first question, though: is this color even magenta? This was the leading picture in the New York Times’ story:

Bright magenta flower abstracted — Pantone’s color of the year 2023, Viva Magenta, as interpreted by The New York Times

??? That’s fuschia, Gentle Readers. Or actual magenta. The First Lady must have had a sneak peek at the NYT story, as she wore this coat to a White House ceremony on Thursday:

[Thank you, Trolls, for fining me for using a picture of First Lady Jill Biden.]

If Pantone is determinedly looking the other way while we struggle to define Viva Magenta, we’re in for a topsy-turvy year. It was hard to give last year’s color, Veri Peri, much wiggle room. But Viva Magenta is going to be all over the map. From oxblood to dark pink to raspberry.

From an interior design standpoint, the burgundy-ish color won’t be difficult to work with. And I like it.

As though Mark Zuckerberg needed the plug

But help me understand what the color actually is! I mean, Pantone calls THIS a collab!

I love Spoonflower, btw, so this isn’t a criticism. It’s a genuine question.

I ask you: did Spoonflower knowingly participate? I see no magenta here, let alone the Viva kind.

Viva Magenta here kind of bums me out:

This color I love, although I’m not a big fan of the Duchess since the snide smirks at Harry and Megan’s wedding:

The Duchess of Windsor in a burgundy outfit — I’d call this burgundy or oxblood. This pic is from The Guardian

And while Mr. Hamilton looks EXTREMELY dapper, I don’t love this color, which I would call fuschia:

Handsome gentleman in fuschia outfit — Lewis Hamilton in The Guardian

If you’re a diehard trend follower and are going to use Viva Magenta in your home IMMEDIATELY, these are the closest paint colors. Benjamin Moore 1343 Fuschine,

Dark red painted wall — I think Benjamin Moore’s Fuschine is pretty close to Viva Magenta

Sherwin Williams SW 6843 Hot, and Farrow & Ball’s 96 Radicchio.

Door painted dark red — Farrow & Ball’s Radicchio

I’m not saying I recommend going out and painting something a Viva Magenta equivalent. I just want you to know your options.

Good luck with this one, Gentle Readers. Kind of a conundrum, Viva Magenta, isn’t it?

Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, DC, but we travel for fun projects. And I guess that in 2023, we decorate with burgundy. I mean, Viva Magenta.

Pantone’s color of the year for 2023: Viva Magenta!