Pattern & Palette: In Season: Citrus Fruits + Their Sunny Hues

Long before Pantone declared tangerine the color of the year, Mother Nature deemed it the color of the season, bringing the sweet-tart fruit, along with its cousins orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime and kumquat, to peak flavor during the winter months.

Citrus fruits are a bright spot in all manner of dishes this time of year, and in home decor, too, either as a counterpoint to the blues we're feelings (both emotionally and aesthetically) or as a punchy partner to winter white.

Here, citrus hues take center stage, even in small doses -- on a door, covering a headboard, adding some midcentury modern flair to an armoire -- and easily carry through to the spring and summer months ahead.

Since they're neighbors on the color wheel, you can think of accent hues interchangeably. Greens and grays are a couple we love from the opposite side of the spectrum, but our favorite pairing with any of these hues is a rich (albeit preppy) navy blue.

Tangerine