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Orange Crush

There are more than enough slices to go around as the color of the moment takes a bow.

Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 7/22/2008 12:00:00 AM

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There’s a bumper crop of citrus out there, but don’t check the produce aisle. Designers are making orange their signature color for everything from trendy electronics to comfy pet products.

Here’s a sampling of the offerings, all of which can be found in the July print edition of Interior Design:

Kobo, Tomma Abts’s acrylic and oil on canvas, is among the highlights of an exhibition devoted to the Turner Prize–winning artist, running at Los Angeles’s Hammer Museum from July 27 to November 9. Closing day for that show is also the opening of the museum’s “Oranges and Sardines, Conversations on Abstract Painting.” Coincidence?

The sun powers Mark Bent’s Solar flashlight—and its waterproof plastic case takes color cues from the same source. A photovoltaic panel on the handle generates enough energy to recharge the batteries that power nine LEDs. The flashlight is among the fall 2008 introductions at the MoMA Design Stores in New York.

Let’s all chant for Mini Om, an Elica range hood available in six new colors including Sunrise orange. Constructed primarily of glass, with the color silk-screened onto the reverse side, the hood features hidden controls that illuminate when touched.

Long a favorite of the hospitality crowd, which always appreciates resistance to stains, water, and bacteria, Crypton is now applying its Super Fabrics to pet beds—sure to put owners at ease, particularly during Fido’s housebreaking stage. Select a standard style, including William Wegman’s Doggie Doodle in persimmon, or create your own from dozens of fabrics.

After 37 years, what couldn’t use a fresh coat of paint? Dietiker, the Swiss furniture manufacturer of Bruno Rey’s chairs, named 33, has turned to Arik Levy to revive the beech design in 26 new colors. Among them, of course, is orange, which also happens to be Levy’s favorite color to wear.

Wow the crowd at Starbucks Coffee when you check your e-mail on Dell’s Studio laptop. Its plastic case comes in a rainbow of colors, one being tangerine orange. There are color-coordinated accessories, too.