By Susan Kelly
Photography by Brandon Barré
In spring, nature bursts forth with a celebration of colour, the first tender green shoots followed by lovely pink blooms. It’s a hopeful and enlivening colour combo that has inspired artists for centuries. Among them is one of the world’s most sought-after designers of luxuriously glam homes, vivacious Toronto-based powerhouse Lori Morris. And in her hands, it can be elevated with sublime effect in any home’s interior at any time of the year.
“My past projects shown here illustrate the timeless appeal of this highly versatile colour palette and that pink and green can evoke a range of moods, from calm and perhaps romantic to lively and eclectic,” says the audacious artist extraordinaire. “And I always add some sexy panache, without which I feel no room is complete.”
An inimitable flair for taking any decor from mundane to magnificent has elevated Morris to one of the world’s most acclaimed high-end luxury designers. The blonde dynamo and her House of Lori Morris Design (LMD) have garnered hundreds of awards for interior design excellence over the past 38 years. Among them, she is the winner of the Living Luxe Award and in 2025 sits on the judging panel alongside other Canadian design luminaries.
Colour psychology holds that pink and green are both powerful hues, hinting that they can evoke strong responses when used in the home. Green is calming but also motivating, linked with growth and vitality. Pink, on the other hand, is all about feel-good vibes, love and harmony. Science confirms what Morris, lauded for her bold, artful colour choices, has always known: that colour is about feeling.
Pink and green can evoke a range of moods, from calm and perhaps romantic to lively and eclectic.
Take pink. Conventional design wisdom advises using it sparingly, preferably as an accent colour. Yet Morris, with typical no-rules flair, has designed dozens of refined and elegant interiors in which pink predominates. Using paler variations such as pastel or blush—romantic, Versailles-worthy French pinks, she calls them—she has boldly covered walls, floors, even ceilings, with the colour to stunning results. “It takes a skilled eye, using the right tones and intensity, mixed with warm neutrals,” she says. “The overall effect is actually extremely inviting and sublimely soft. You don’t know why the room is hugging you; it just is.”
Green is a staple colour for this visionary and fearless designer, who strongly believes that it should appear in every home’s decor. It’s an organic touch, all about bringing nature inside and connecting with the world.
She feels it injects another layer of strength and personality into a space. Intense emerald, hunter, grass, chartreuse—Morris can make anyone’s favourite shade work. Again, it’s important to balance with neutral colours, and she includes rich gold in the category for its ability to add a gleaming accent while harmonizing with other colours.
I always add some sexy panache, without which I feel no room is complete.
For people living in tropical climates, pink also echoes the natural world outside. Think rosy sunsets or hibiscus, perhaps a flamingo or two. In the dining room of one South Florida estate, shades of vibrant green serve as a backdrop for the tropical print on a puckish, era-bending egg chair with Baroque detailing. Taking cues from the spectacular sunsets, Morris applied shades of soft pink to walls and an area rug, then added more intense hues in accessories like curvaceous vases and two ludic pelican statues.
For another project, she drew inspiration from the mansion’s Miami setting, an area renowned for Art Deco architecture and avant garde design. The vignette shown here reflects her artistic take on the surroundings: a console’s rounded shape evokes the period, while its bubble-gum-pink colour adds Pop Art panache. The effect is heightened when played against acid chartreuse walls and the addition of eccentrically refined details for an overall mood of high-energy, playful sophistication.
“I’ve designed other homes in which I mixed both soft and intense shades of green and pink,” she says. “They engage the senses. Even on a cold winter’s day, it can feel warm and beautiful and remind you of palm trees blowing in the wind.” Which is why this colour scheme can be appropriate whether you reside in a chic downtown condo in Toronto or Paris, a stunning Aspen chalet, a Muskoka lake house or a tropical beachfront retreat.
“The pink-and-green colour palette just needs to be done properly with the right tone intensity keeping in mind the home’s setting,” Morris says. “There also has to be the right mix of beautiful layers and textures around it. With LMD’s design savvy, the effect can be eternally fresh and timelessly elegant with a soupçon of sumptuous sex appeal.”