Bank holiday blues - how do I choose colour for my home?
“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those that love colour the most”
I had lately been contemplating various topics I could address for my first blog post website launch, but this wet bank holiday has me thinking in an entirely new direction. The metaphor ‘make hay while the sun shines’ ironically comes to mind as I dream of blue skies and sunshine facing into a second day of rain. Given our damp climate, I consider how this might be interpreted differently and so I find myself at my desk ‘making hay’ to free up some time for when the sun does actually shine.
As a nation obsessed by its weather and often a source of conversation, I remain mystified as to why we continue to plan things around its unpredictability! Fortunately for me, I happen to suit our climate but today definitely has me thinking about all things blue in two very different contexts, which brings me to the subject of colour. Given its intricacies, technicalities and impactful properties for transforming our spaces, it is no doubt an open-ended subject I will return to time and time again.
So what is it about my favourite colour blue that we love so much and inspires us to write music, film and dedicate years to its exploration through painting (Picasso’s blue period 1900 – 1904) yet shy away from it when it comes to applying it in our homes? Maybe if we start by looking at colour for how it makes us feel opposed to its’ connotations, we might begin to appreciate it a little bit more and approach it differently.
Traditionally the colour of sadness, it is also a calming and reflective colour. How many of us gravitate towards the sea or water when we are feeling low or seek perspective? and what is it about a peek of blue sky that brings us hope and slows us down? Most of us head south in search of sunshine at any given time of year but what we actually crave is an endless blue sky preferably meeting an ocean horizon. Sunshine obviously plays its part and being immersed in nature is proven for its restorative properties yet blue isn’t one of those colours that we associate with these characteristics.
So what do we put with blue? After months spent stranded on a cycladic island, the aegean coastline with its white cubes of architecture dotted against an endless blue horizon immediately springs to my mind. White against blue most likely conjures similar memories of distant shores for everyone else also and is no wonder this classic coastal feeling, synonymous with the hamptons style is so often replicated. What we tend to forget however is that the light intensity and consistency varies in warmer climates to ours and I find that white doesn’t always translate as well here, requiring warmth. Ecru I believe responds differently and is more sympathetic for creating a softer and more informal look. This tried and trusted combination doesn’t require much more than the addition of natural materials including wood, linen, seagrass, sisal or wicker for example when seeking colour and/or textural contrast for that relaxed summer feeling. For creating depth, I tend to stick to a monochromatic palette incorporating Inkier blues in varying patterns for tonal contrast. In winter, I seek out nature when looking to create a different atmosphere adding burnt umber, tree bark brown and fir greens when incorporating layers and seeking warmth, the blue walls absorbing their varying characteristics offering a changed immersion.
On any given day I wear blue and when I step outside my comfort zone, I find myself gravitating back to my safe space at some point throughout the day. When I approached the decorating of our own home a few years ago, I was determined not to let the lack of light nor the inference to blue being a cool colour deter me from using it in my own space. Surely if I responded to a certain colour in a positive way, it could only impact my day to day living for the better. Would I find it calming and inspirational or would it leave me feeling moody or melancholy. From barely there washes to varying pigmented ceilings, walls, woodwork and textiles, I never tire of starting and ending my day immersed in my favourite colour.
If you also love blue or want to learn more about understanding colour and its application in your home, why not schedule a call with me to-day and discover how to create the space that speaks of you.