Pastels or pastel colors belong to a

pale Pale may refer to: Jurisdictions * Medieval areas of English conquest: ** Pale of Calais, in France (1360–1558) ** The Pale, or the English Pale, in Ireland *Pale of Settlement, area of permitted Jewish settlement, western Russian Empire (179 ...

family of colors, which, when described in the

HSV color space HSL and HSV are the two most common cylindrical-coordinate representations of points in an RGB color model. The two representations rearrange the geometry of RGB in an attempt to be more intuitive and perceptually relevant than the cartesian ...

, have high value and low or medium

saturation Saturation, saturated, unsaturation or unsaturated may refer to: Chemistry *Saturated and unsaturated compounds, a classification of compounds related to their ability to resist addition reactions ** Degree of unsaturation **Saturated fat or satu ...

. They are named after the artistic medium made from pigment and solid binding agents, similar to

crayon A crayon (or wax pastel) is a stick of pigmented wax used for writing or drawing. Wax crayons differ from pastels, in which the pigment is mixed with a dry binder (material), binder such as gum arabic, and from oil pastels, where the binder is a ...

s. Pastel sticks historically had lower saturation than paints of the same pigment, hence the name of this color family. The colors of this family are usually described as soothing, calming, and nostalgic. They tend to lean towards ideas of simplicity and help to contrast against the bolder and brighter colors that trend in our world. They are integrated into interior design in many places, such as healthcare to help soothe anxiety, or in classrooms to help the mind focus. Pastel colors work to oppose the brighter, bolder colors that tend to be common in many other places.

Pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...

mauve Mauve ( ; ) is a pale purple color named after the mallow flower (French: ). The first use of the word ''mauve'' as a color was in 1796–1798 according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', but its use seems to have been rare before 1859. ...

, and

baby blue Baby blue, also known as light blue, is a tint of azure, which is one of the pastel colors. The first recorded use of ''baby blue'' as a color name in English was in 1892. Variations of baby blue Beau blue Beau blue is a light tone of ba ...

are commonly used pastel colors, as are

mint green Spring Green or spring green may refer to: Colors * Spring green ** Spring bud, formerly known as spring green Plants * Spring greens, edible young leaves of certain plants * Spring greens (Brassica oleracea), vegetables Places in the United S ...

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

, periwinkle,

lilac ''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly ...

, and

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...

.There are no official listing of colors' hex codes, but there are stil
websites
with given color names and hex codes that can be used to find pastel colors. There are also color charts that can be used to physically identify pastel colors.

Pastels in Pop Culture

Trends involving pastel colors have maintained cultural relevance in both fashion and interior design.The

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

period of the 1920's and 30's involved pastels greatly in their designs. After this, the 1940's and 50's involved pastels in their interior design, known now as "retro" design, with an association of elegance. Pastels had another rise in popularity around the 1980's specifically in men's fashion. Suits that were pastel in their color started to become very popular around this time, associated feelings of confidence and coolness. In modern day, pastels are still integrated into interior design, and the idea of pastel colors in fashion has only broadened its scope to being used in a variety of settings. Pastel colors are valued in fashion because of their ability to match with a variety of other color types. They can be combined with blacks and whites to help contrast the colors more, mixed with other pastels to help bring out a monochromatic look. They are also complimentary to many skin tones, making them accessible to all. While associated feelings have changed within given time periods and their trends, the root of pastels' association is still with relaxation, harmony, and gentleness. They are meant to be used in a variety of scenarios and remain pleasing to the eye and mind.

Examples

Gallery

File:Gaiety pastels.jpg, Gaiety pastels File:Perles pastel.jpg, Pastel-colored

bead A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under 1 ...

References

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