Lovely for a babys bedroom, but prefer pops of colour you say above, love the sophisticated photo further up.

Pastels for me bring comfort feelings, adding fresh flowers, multi pastel accents, can be forever bright and fresh feeling.

Pastels mixed with silver or gold sparkly accents can be girly girl glam. Not for me, but I can see the appeal. Pastels are light and airy and refreshing...however, the furniture would have to be sophisticated in order for it to be taken seriously, otherwise it can look very young.

I could adopt it in small hits throughout my home, but it wouldn't suit me to have it as my main decor theme, even though the effect can be quite pleasing as seen in these examples:

http://www.ruemag.com/decor-inspiration/julia-engel-of-gal-meets-glam
http://designmaze-tim.blogspot.ca/2013_04_01_archive.html
http://theeverygirl.com/feature/danielle-moss-chicago-apartment-tour
http://www.casasugar.com/Spring-Paint-Palettes-Home-28446189#photo-28446555
http://www.inspiredbythis.com/dwell/inspired-by-this-glamorous-pastel-home-2/
http://www.thelennoxx.com/browse-by-room/dining-room/emily-ruddos-home-pure-perfection-2/attachment/nodern-fireplace-chic-decor/
http://vi.sualize.us/i_heart_shabby_chic_decorating_with_beige_and_duck_egg_blue_home_interiors_decor_ambientes_picture_vPFj.html
http://www.serenitynowblog.com/2013/03/more-highlighted-links-share-your-best_10.html
http://www.dailydreamdecor.com/2012/05/pastel-story-marais-apartment.html#.UtKplXlANg0
http://www.bellechantelle.com/2013_04_01_archive.html
http://stylecarrot.com/2013/05/14/montage-30-pretty-pastel-interiors/

my reflexive response was "UGH," and then I read preceding commentary as well as multiple well fashioned rooms featuring pastels and realized that as with all things--decorating included--tolerance and intellectual curiosity produce the best results

I like painting with my pastels, but I'm not a big fan of pastel on furniture

When I finish painting my place, I think the only room that will have pastel walls might be my kitchen.

I'm a sucker for rich, saturated color.

I think pastel colours mixed with deeper colours and textures can be very relaxing.

Rachel Ashwell (Shabby Chic inventor) knows how to do pastels. Looks like Décor Team do, too.

light pink, hot pink and rawness mixed in.

I have lived with saturated wall colors for the last 35 years. I am currently doing a remodel and using white and shades of white for the walls. I have a closet filled with beautiful fabric in saturated colors and they are destined to be on pillows and throws on white slipcovered furniture. There will still be some 'natural color wood and leather thrown in along with various metals but as much as I like color I like change and with this I can change my color scheme as often as my mood changes (and that is often).

Pastels are refreshing and calming with the scenario pictured. You can throw in a deep accent here and there, without overpowering the pastels.

I still remember a pastel room I did for the Boston showhouse in the 80's. I feel that some of the most beautiful rooms I have ever seen were done in that period. some were traditional,and others contemporary. And I loved them all. I felt that they were so easy to take and to live with. good for the soul. Paul Godin-Interior Designer

There is what I would like and reality check, what I can have. I have three medium to large dogs, live in a rural area, lots of dirt and dust kicked up by neighbors cars. Pastel would not work. Pastels, for the walls, but everything else is will it show the dog hair.
A lot of people will think I am nuts, but my animals give me much more joy than any furniture could.

Strange enough, I had a cockatoo for ten years, she did way more damage than any of my dogs.

Not a fan, but I do think they can work used carefully. Problem is that pastels can become sickeningly cutesy not used properly. Hate the feature photo...perfect example of what I mean.

I love pastels..

Natural and fresh, I like it.

I live in Key West Fl an island known for whites and pastels inside and out. Getting the right color however is an art and if not done right can be a disaster.

We've used lemon pastel on walls in our lounge, lemony cream carpet and have modern light green leather furniture on chrome legs with glass and chrome side tables. It makes the room look happy, and feels like spring all year round. People tell me they love it, and would never have thought of having a pale mint green lounge suite until they saw ours. However, we've kept the family room with almost white walls, vertical blinds and side drapes in same color, black/brown t.v. console, and 2 black recliners for us, and almost white guest chairs, porcelain tiles on floor, with black and cream area rug. And I find this room dull and uninteresting even if it is modern as far as color themes go these days.

Great for spring, but what happens when spring is over? I think pastels suit year round warmer weather, but if changing of seasons...doesn't appeal to me personally.

Works ok if you live in Florida. Not in Missouri

We live in an 1885 Victorian and have redecorated each room with progressively bolder colour. We even went so far as to paint the outside "Golden Topaz". We love colour. When I grew up, my parents would always paint a version of white, 'white with a tint of green', or 'white with a tint of blue'. I used to kid a friend that she would 'spit in a bucket of white paint and call it beige'. I'm a fan of colour!

Pastels make you thing of something cooling, lemon ice, lime sorbet. When it is cold outside you want something warming inside. That's why I don't get the gray walls or a white room. In Florida, white & pastel work. But when there snow on the ground and gray and nasty outside, no.

Maybe the writer could think of happy colors for the Northern hemisphere.

Pastels with whites have been used extensively in Nordic interiors, where long cold and dark days are well known. I think we limit ourselves by thinking pastels can only be used in southern climates.

Agree bluenan, and as your pictures indicate, there is depth and variation of shades, tints, and hues with warm toned woods and accent colors to give dimension to those pastels. As mentioned above, balance is the key in using pastels or any tone for that matter. An overload of any of it is typically not pleasing.

It may also be interesting to note that I live in Southern US and we refer to an abundant use of pastels as "tropical". :)

Give me the warmer, bolder colors!

Two years ago we had 100 days of over 100 degree temps. Pastels always work for me. No mixing though--monochromatic or with white. Is grey a pastel??

I think of a pastel like a tint, any color with white added, so I would say that a light grey could be considered a pastel.

Pastels are, to me, just washed out lifeless versions of the real deal. I might use a pastel to provide a background for a more saturated version of the same hue, but in my opinion pastels cannot stand on their own successfully.

A lot of pictures of pastel rooms on this site and others *almost* convinced me that I should give pastels a shot in my own home.....then I started to realize that 99% of those photos looked so fresh and crisp and ethereal because they are over-exposed shots!. I think it's a bit tricky to get this look to translate as well IRL. It depends on where you live to some extent - if you're in a warm climate with lots of sunny windows, the coolness of pastels would seem airy and refreshing. Where I live, it's winter for 5- 6 months of the year, so pastels feel 'icy'. Since I don't have a lot of natural light in my place, I have come to prefer a lighter palette, so most of my walls, cabinetry and furniture is white, but I have mixed a healthy dose of rich color in all my accents to warm things up.

[houzz=]

Though not a fan of pastels, I think this is pastels done well. It caught my eye and made think twice about converting... :)

I vote for both. Like them for different rooms, for different personalities, for different tastes, and find pastels fresh, soothing, or exciting, inviting and less trendy, so I would use them. I like difference.

Bluenan said it well ......

i'm not particularly fond of them, but i also don't have a reaction to them like a vampire to holy water, so i answered with a qualified "meh". ;P

I love pastels. Even when a room is dominated by darker colors, light touches of pastels (in the right colors) can be used here and there.

I think you can put pastels anywhere as long as you do it properly

Pastels per se, no. But muted pastels, pastels tinted with a little black, are nice colors.

I don't mind the pastels if it's in cottages or bedroom... if u accent it with throws, pillows, candlesticks, etc with pastels colours it gives u the feeling of spring are just around the corner after spending long dreary winter!

pastels no, colors yes.

essentialsinside.com

the pastels aren't the problem, the whole design stinks.

Needs color, some wow to it. Too bland and boring.

If a room is predominantly one color and then a pastel is introduced, then it often feels cool. Like a white, gray or olive green room with an accent. But when it's pastel on pastel on pastel, it looks like a bowl of after dinner mints or Easter eggs.

NO PIZZAZZ NO CONTRAST NO FOCAL POINT I FIND IT ALL TOO BORING

it all looks a bit washy wash to me. The colors are all the same value. By changing the value to medium and darker tones this should add more interest to the room

Pastels are so BORING! Uninteresting. Not my taste at all. In fact I find them somewhat depressing. I once had a client who had painted all the moldings in her house baby blue. It was horrid.

I still love pastels. Very easy to live with. Paul godin

I love pastels in a cottage or beach house..here is the style I like

Yes if it's done right like this room

Totally! I studied color theory and there are so many amazing color palettes that can be created using pastel colors only. It has to be done right to create the positive and warm effect. To me, those colors make the room feel bigger. My living room is painted in "Blue Opal" from Behr :)

I LOVE PASTELS. It has to be well mixed with other materials but i think it is nice in any interiors

https://www.instagram.com/design_hunger/

Pastels are amazing! Here are some of our projects to get you inspired:

Go to www.gialluisihomes.com to see more beautiful homes!