While it’s true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there is one constant in the dizzying diversity of aesthetic tastes: blue. Year after year, the colour of the heavens tops the list in colour preference polls. Why is it that people are so drawn to blue?
A calming colour
Long the preserve of the nobility and wealthy elites due to the costliness of the pigment, the colour became more accessible with more modern manufacturing methods. Today there are thousands of shades of blue, from deep midnight blue to pale turquoise.
Sky blue and navy blue bring us back to nature, evoking open spaces like the sky and the sea. Soothing and serene, blue possesses an undeniably calming quality that calls to us in our increasingly hectic world. Where red stirs passion, blue induces a sense of calm and well-being. Associated with freedom, intelligence and loyalty, blue is a reassuring colour.
2020’s colour of the year
It is no small irony that this colour, with all its positive associations, was named colour of the year for 2020 by the Pantone Color Institute. The dark blue shade chosen by Pantone, inspired by the sky at dusk, is a refuge for our overloaded brains. It signals the opening of a new decade and our collective desire for a solid foundation for the years ahead. While 2020 was anything but an ordinary year, Pantone’s calming and enveloping blue augurs better days ahead. Designated “Classic Blue” by the Institute, it’s tempting to rename 2020’s crowning colour “Resilient Blue.”
Living in blue
Blue may be 2020’s trend colour, but that doesn’t mean that it will fade from view with the passage of time. Always in fashion, it will continue bringing peace and comfort to our homes far into the future. Paler shades of blue remind us of cold winter weather, while in darker shades, blue becomes warm and intense. A timeless colour that transcends trends, blue can easily be used to grace our homes. Blue furniture provides a backdrop for warm and luminous tints like cognac and gold, and natural materials such as leather and wood bring out its richness.
A timeless colour that transcends trends, blue can easily be used to grace our homes.
You can choose blue as the colour of the central piece of furniture in a room, such as our Westfield fabric loveseat that simply beckons you to sit and relax. Blue becomes a space for daydreams in the Sareen fabric bed, which offers a cosy spot for looking out on a stormy morning. You can also use blue in the kitchen as an accent colour with counter stools. Floors can sport shades of blue too; our area rugs can complement a wide range of decors.
On walls blue can be a bold statement, transforming any room into an elegant cocoon. Sico’s enchanting Mystic Cobalt is a case in point. In lighter shades, blue can serve as both a neutral canvas and an accent colour that can liven up your decor. A versatile colour, blue is as much at home in more subdued settings as in daring decors.
In lighter shades, blue can serve as both a neutral canvas and an accent colour that can liven up your decor.
While the year 2020 may have given us the blues, 2021 can only hold happier days in store. Like the Irving Berlin song goes, “Blue days, all of them gone. Nothing but blue skies, from now on.” Since we’ve been spending so much more time at home these last months, we have even more reason to create peaceful oases that help us recenter ourselves. The good news is that blue is the new black. It’s a sure fit, no matter what the fashion. Go ahead and embrace it – it’s a winning choice for any interior.
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