The Little Color That Could: A Soft Pastel with Surprising Staying Power

When we first wrote about mint, it was 2009. Other trends from that era — think chevron and faux taxidermy — seem not so trendy now. And I think pastels in general are starting to feel a little clichéd; a bit too precious for these times. And yet, mint soldiers on. I see it everywhere. Sometimes it leans a bit in the sagey direction, but still, it is there. It is the color that just won’t quit.

Above:Here’s that oddly persistent color, gracing the very stylish hotelEden Locke Scotland. Instead of other pastels, mint keeps company with blonde wood and gold accents, which give it a more grownup feel.

In this kitchen byHans VerstuyftfromThe D Pages, we see the leaning-towards-sage mint I mentioned earlier. This is like the mint green counterpart toMillennial Pink: making a color less saturated automatically gives it a more sophisticated feel.

The green on green on green scheme is really working for this room from theHotel Bienvenue(viaPoppytalk). The fact that all the greens are quite light keeps the scheme from becoming overwhelming: the hints of red and black are a nice touch.

In this space by Ana Strumpf in collaboration with RSRG Architects featured onYatzer, mint green makes a lovely and unexpected backdrop for a gallery wall. In this room, which has quite a lot going on, the mint almost functions as a neutral.

Mint-coloredDTilemakes a strong statement in this bathroom byNlights on Behance. (I feel obliged to point out that this is not a real room, but a rendering — however it’s an incredibly convincing one.) The mint tile definitely recalls bathrooms from the ’40s and ’50s, but the minimal detailing and black accents make this very modern.

Mint is a lovely addition to a black-and-white color palette in this bedroom from55 Kvadrat. Doesn’t this space just look so soothing?

A light, barely-there mint gives this hallway fromSkona Heman ethereal feel.

And finally we have a very light, desaturated mint making a sophisticated statement in a kitchen fromCoco Lapine Design.

What do you think? Are you tired of mint yet? Or are you happy that this color is here to stay?