Tag: blue

Home Tones: Indigo

Indigo living roomcredit

While wondering what colour to feature in this week’s Home Tones, I glanced down at my T-shirt… Indigo blue.

One of the seven colours of the rainbow, indigo is a deep, dark blue. It’s the traditional dye used to colour denim or serge de Nîmes to give it its correct term. It’s also used to colour wool, silk and food.

Indigo’s got real impact when it comes to interior decoration – intense and rich. It seems to work very well when it sits against a crisp white in the form of skirting boards, ceiling etc. It also looks fabulous when combined with layers of grey tone or natural wood shades. Successful highlight colours include yellow, pink, gold and other brass like metallics.

Stairway painted in Sanderson Indigocredit

Minimalist home office with indigo painted wallcredit

Indigo kitchen islandcredit

Industrial styled kid's room with indigo painted wallcredit

Traditional styled home office with indigo painted wallscredit

Wet room tiled in indigo mosaiccredit

Indigo kitchen cabinetscredit

Home Tones: Tiffany Blue

Picture gallery on a Tiffany blue painted wallcredit

One of the few things I regret about our one and only trip to New York over a decade ago was not popping into Tiffany’s. We walked right past it, along 5th Avenue, peeking through the door as we drew alongside. I don’t know why we didn’t go inside!

Tiffany Blue is such a distinctive shade. The shop’s little boxes and bags with their white ribbon and rope are instantly recognisable.

According to Tiffany & Co:

“Also referred to as robin’s-egg blue or forget-me-not blue, this distinctive color may have been chosen because of the popularity of the turquoise gemstone in 19th-century jewelry. Turquoise was also a favorite of Victorian brides who gave their attendants a dove-shaped brooch of turquoise as a wedding day memento.“

The colour is perfect teamed with brilliant white and soft grey – or, for a touch of drama, try combining it with charcoal or black.

Tiffany Blue painted front doorcredit

Kitchen cupboards and door painted in Tiffany Bluecredit

Tiffany Blue clothes cupboard and drawers in a dressing roomcredit

Black and Tiffany Blue decorated teen bedroomcredit

Baby's nursery with Tiffany Blue bedding and cushionscredit

Shower enclosure with Tiffany Blue tiled floorcredit

Twin Tiffany Blue bathroom sinkscredit

Home Tones: Petrol blue

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Petrol blue bedroom wardrobecredit

We’ve chosen a very dramatic colour for this week’s Home Tones post… petrol blue. It really grabs your attention. It’s often used quite sparingly in room schemes so as not to overpower it – perhaps a feature wall, furniture upholstery etc. People are being quite brave about embracing darkness now however – note the trend for dark greys in interior design – so we think this shade could be used quite liberally in a space – perhaps in conjunction with the aforementioned greys, fuchsia and violet. We often see flocks of starlings on nearby farmland and their feathers are very beautiful when you look at them close up – an iridescent combination of purple, green and this petrol blue. Take your colour combination cue from nature!

Sitting room in Blue Petrol housecredit

Petrol blue vignette containing artworks, lighting and vasescredit

Petrol blue sitting roomcredit

Black painted bedroom with petrol blue soft furnishingscredit

sitting room with petrol blue sofas and carpetcredit

Petrol blue painted spiral staircasecredit

Violet and pertol blue beddingcredit

Home Tones: Rose Quartz and Serenity

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Armchairs and cushions in Pantone's 'Serenity' colour of the year 2016credit

In the past week, ‘Rose Quartz’ and ‘Serenity’ have been chosen as the joint Pantone Colours of the Year for 2016. We’ve chosen to highlight various homes that use the two colours. Personally speaking, we’re not keen on using them together – it’s a bit reminiscent of 1980s coach seat upholstery.

They’re colours we think would be used to paint the walls in babies’ rooms – a little uninspiring – pink for girls, blue for boys. We have however found some interiors that use them successfully.

Scandi living room with pink painted mid-century modern chairscredit

Shower cubicle in a Victorian barthroom with Serenity painted wallscredit

Pink painted filing cabinet in a home officecredit

Harvey Jones kitchen with Serenity coloured central islandcredit

Rose-quartz kitchen countertopcredit

Serenity painted bathroomcredit

Rose quartz painted panelled wall with blue bed linen and headboard
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