Valentine’s Day 2025: 7 of the world’s prettiest pink buildings

Rising five stories in the heart of Jaipur’s old city, the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) could well be the pinnacle of pink architecture, although it didn't start as such.

Constructed in 1799 during Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh’s reign, its honeycomb facade comprises 953 jharokhas (windows) with intricate latticework.

The building’s current pink hue stems from a pivotal moment: the 1876 visit of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, when Maharaja Ram Singh II ordered the entire city painted pink—traditionally a colour of hospitality in Rajasthan.

The facade’s lattice served multiple purposes: allowing royal women to observe street life while maintaining purdah, creating cooling air currents, and providing structural support. This decree to maintain pink facades has remained in force, earning Jaipur its “Pink City” moniker.

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An elegant reminder of Macau’s Portuguese colonial heritage, the Praia Grande Palace embodies the unique architectural fusion that characterises one of the city's most significant landmarks. Constructed in 1849 as a palace for the first Baron of Cercal, this distinctive rose-coloured mansion cuts an elegant figure along the Praia Grande waterfront.

The three-story structure represents one of Macau's finest examples of Portuguese colonial architecture, marked by delicate wrought-iron balconies, ornate mouldings, and cornices that trace the building’s elegant lines. Large windows, strategically placed to capture sea breezes, are framed by original shutters that have been meticulously preserved through careful restoration.

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Known colloquially as the “Pink Mosque,” the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque represents a stunning confluence of colour and light in traditional Persian architecture.

Built during the Qajar dynasty, the mosque’s exterior features traditional pink-hued tiles, but it’s the interior that has captured the global imagination. 

The facade’s pink-tinted stone provides a subtle preview of the chromatic display within, where morning light streams through stained-glass windows, creating kaleidoscopic patterns across pink-tinted marble floors and pillars. 

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Known as the “Palace of Love and Hope,” Maruekhathaiyawan Palace is one of Thailand’s most elegant examples of royal architecture.

Built in 1923 under King Rama VI, this seaside summer palace combines traditional Thai elevated design with European influences. 

Designed by Italian architect Ercole Manfredi, the structure consists of three primary groups of buildings connected by covered walkways stretching nearly 400 feet along the beachfront.

Its distinctive two-tone pink exterior was chosen not just for aesthetics but practicality—the paint composition helped protect the teak structure from sea spray. The palace’s design brilliantly adapts to Thailand’s tropical climate, with open-air halls and high ceilings maximising natural ventilation.

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The “Pink Palace of the Pacific” opened in 1927 as Matson Navigation Company’s ambitious response to Egypt’s luxury hotels.

The selection of Warren & Wetmore—architects of NewYork’s Grand Central Terminal—and their bold choice of pink paint signalled the project’s ambitions.

During World War II, the U.S. Navy used the property as a rest centre for submarine crews.

The hotel’s Spanish-Moorish design, with open-air arcades and courtyards optimised for tropical cross-ventilation, pioneered what became known as the “Hawaiian resort style” influencing resort architecture across the Pacific Rim.

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The “Pink Palace of the Gulf” was built during Florida’s 1920s real estate boom as Mediterranean Revival architecture transformed the coastline. Completed in 1928, the ten-story hotel’s distinctive pink facade, created from a mixture of mortar, concrete, and local beach sand, became an instant landmark.

Its history mirrors America’s transformations: F. Scott Fitzgerald frequented its halls during the Jazz Age; the Depression saw it host baseball teams; World War II converted it into a military hospital. After falling into disrepair by 1969, its 1973 restoration marked one of the earliest major historic hotel rehabilitations in the American Southeast. 

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