Beachy Blues
By: Rachel Perls, decor8 guest contributor
What color makes you feel calm, peaceful, and serene? I?m betting for many of you, it is the color blue. Something embedded deep within our psyche is drawn to it. It represents what we cannot live without: air and water. Blue makes us think of the ocean and the sky, ever ebbing and flowing, limitless and ethereal.
Outside, your world might look cold, grey and uninviting, like this:
You can still get that feeling of 'a perfect summer day at the shore' inside your house by using a palette of blues, like this:
The "Beachy Keen" blues are serene, tranquil, and dependable. Try a splash of powder blue on your walls (or ceiling!), a soft blue-grey striped rug, or a cobalt blown glass vase. Mix it up with blues carrying red undertones, like periwinkle, and green undertones, like aqua.
A word of caution about the blues - too much of this hue can appear cold, sterile, or depressing. Avoid this by balancing your blue with a touch of warmth from the other side of the color spectrum. This can easily be accomplished by adding punch with orange art, colorful Mediterranean tiles, wicker or wood furniture.
Looking for inspiration to complete your ocean-feeling space? Remember Diane Keaton?s Hampton house in the movie "Something?s Gotta Give"? This is a classic example of elegant, beach styling. The design was so popular that people were having their interior designers use freeze frames from the movie to copy for their own homes.
via SDSA. Set Decoration by Beth Rubino, SDSA.
via SDSA. Set Decoration by Beth Rubino, SDSA.So take cues from these inspirations and your favorite beach vision. Juxtapose blues against crisp whites, grays and neutrals, and you will have your perfect beach retreat, even if you are stranded far inland!
To delve further into the world of color, please visit Rachel?s blog Hue.