Let’s Talk About Color: Blue
April 27, 2007 § Leave a comment
From the sky to the ocean to a baby’s blanket, it’s no wonder that everybody loves the color blue. As a cool color, blue recedes making rooms appear larger. As a color pulled from nature, blue represents relaxation and peace and is perfect for rooms like bedrooms, babies’ rooms, living rooms, porches, guest baths, and just about every other room where you want to relax. But choosing the right blue can be a real challenge because what appears to be a pretty blue in the paint store may turn out to be a vibrating horror on your walls.
Here’s an exercise. Next time you’re in the paint store, pull a bright clear blue (like Highland Breeze #786 from Benjamin Moore) from the sample rack and put it on a piece of white paper. Then pull what might appear to be gray (like Silvery Blue #1647 from Benjamin Moore) and put it on a different piece of white paper. Now stand back and try to picture what each of those colors will look like on all four walls of your room. What happens with the clear blue is that it feels like it’s vibrating. The clarity of the color makes it so intense in the room that the effect is far from restful, at least for an adult. (Kids and teenagers love clear colors so something like highland breeze might work for their rooms, but make sure you temper the color with a lot of white.)
The more restful shade of blue is the silvery blue because it is greyed down. It tends to blend and recede as a restful backdrop and is perfect for any bedroom.
The message to share is that you should notice more than the wall color when you enter a room. If all you see is the walls, then the room is not working. To avoid that wall color trap, look for greyed-down shades and avoid crystal clear hues that resemble the contents of a crayon box. You’ll be happier with the result.
Your Home & Color Coach 
Leave a Reply