July 28, 2009

The colour BLUE

Hello to everyone from this weeks Hooked on Fridays! Thanks to Julia at Hooked on Houses for hosting.

Well, with all of the lovely weather (not) we've been having in Eastern Ontario, it was very easy to come up with the title of this post. With day after cool, rainy day, I have to say I have been "feeling blue", however that's not the BLUE I wanted to blog about. Let's try and lift our spirits with some talk and pics about the colour BLUE.

When I was a little girl, BLUE was my favourite colour. I wanted blue paint, BLUE wallpaper, BLUE decor, BLUE clothing (TG for BLUE jeans), shoes, jewellery, books... Every questionnaire that asked (and as a teenager, admit it, you did every one you could get your hands on) I filled in that asked my favourite colour - BLUE! We even had a dog named BLUE - who I still miss 34 years later!

You name it, it had to be BLUE - well OK not BLUE hair - back in the day we didn't have the means or the tolerance that we do today. Unlike my youngest daughter, who at the age of 15, decided that her hair should be neon pink. Figuring that heck, it's only hair and will grow back, I headed out to the local drugstore with her and picked up the bleach and Manic Panic and for one summer she sported a shockingly pink head of hair. But, I digress - back to BLUE.

From my studies, the colour BLUE, a primary colour on the Colour Wheel, is associated with the following emotions and physiological reactions – tranquility, calmness, faith, loyalty (true BLUE) among others. When used in advertising, BLUE is often used to promote cleanliness, travel (sea and sky colour) and precision. Gender wise, apart from the old adage pink for girls and BLUE for boys, BLUE is hiighly accepted by males, with dark BLUE symbolizing the corporate world and associated with strength and stability.

BLUE should be avoided in relation to food, as studies prove is is known to suppress the appetite. Now, I would like to interject here, that regardless of this last fact, I still plan to paint my dining room BLUE!

In languages, the word BLUE is derived from the Old French “bleu” from Germanic origin “blao” meaning shining. Although in the English language the term “BLUE” can mean feelings of sadness, in German it means drunk which equates back to an ancient use of urine, which the body produces copious amounts of, in dying cloth BLUE (ewwww!).

Of course, with my study of design and decor, I have grown to appreciate other colours and incorporate them into my homes - greens and yellows, mauves and pinks, garden and earth tones - but deep down inside I still have a hankering for BLUE. When I chose the colour for this blog - it wasn't a conscious decision - I naturally gravitated to the BLUEs.

So in honour of BLUE – let’s explore a bit – I hope you enjoy some of my favourites...

First and foremost – the sky…

blue%20sky%20sailboat I couldn’t resist the pic with the sailboat!

Followed closely by the sea …

waves_1

One day I WILL go here….

santorini1

the “BLUE City” – Jodhpur, India

jodhpur india

Here’s a combination of my favourite colour and my favourite flower (which symbolizes devotion):

hydrangea_primary And in rooms…

5-blue-kitchen-0408-xlg

'Style:

6-living-room-xlg-1148785

seaside-living-room-xlg-50688721

living-room-and-dining-room-in-one-xlg-666689702-blue-dining-room-xlg 1-makeover-bathroom-0708-xlg-1128941-64033811

14-blue-bath-0408-xlg-76077229 aab00824_main contemp1-aaa20086-lg 115-blue-bedroom-0306_460x360-6710071495-klotz-bedroom-0708-xlg-91594807-55987306

On furniture …img_bluevelvet_1 img_bluevelvet_6

And on our tables (even though we shouldn’t :) )

2250297 2208781 001010102_m

Photo credits:

1 – Steve Pinkers photos of Cape Cod - http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/photos/cape_cod/pages/blue%20sky%20sailboat.htm; 2 – unknown; 3 – Fira, Santorini - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/santorini-workshop-2009/; 4 – Jodhpur India - http://www.virtourist.com/asia/india/jodhpur/index.html; 5 – Hydrangea - http://www.brides.com/planning/flowers/flowerfinder/detail/176228/; 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18 ,19– www.HouseBeautiful.com; 14 – Kohler Canada -http://www.ca.kohler.com/ideas/showcase/showcase.jsp?section=3&nsection=3&nsubsection=1&subsection=1&aid=1824; 15 – Kohler Canada - http://www.ca.kohler.com/ideas/showcase/showcase.jsp?section=3&nsection=3&nsubsection=2&subsection=2&aid=716&style=Contemporary; 20, 21 – Cobalt Dinnerware & Glassware – www.pier1.com; 22 – Denby Imperial Blue - http://www.denby.co.uk/Imperial-Blue/Covered-Vegetable-Dish/invt/001010102;

13 comments:

  1. While I like blue and brown together, blue and white looks so fresh, airy and open. Great pictures illustrating that.

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  2. simply dreamy, these shots. I loved that HB cover with the cableknit pillows...thanks for your visit today...wow, relatives in Ukee...I probably know of them...it's tiny.

    Best,
    Michelle

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  3. Donna, I LOVE your blue post!! I really enjoyed learning more about blue and looking at all the great blue pictures that you found :-) Maybe didn't need to know about using urine to dye things blue, though ;-)

    I think blue food is cool -- I just made a batch of cupcakes this past weekend that were yellow, red, and blue with yellow, red, and blue sprinkles on top. And I like eating blue popsicles and blue candies and blueberries -- which are really green inside, but they count as blue food anyway, right?? :-)

    Kelly

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  4. Now I want to paint something blue. (Thanks for the link to the photos of the IAC building.) Greetings from New York!

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  5. I love this post! Blue has always been my favorite color. You picked the perfect images to illustrate your points. And by the way, what a fantastic mom you are to support your daughter, even when she wants to try to something crazy like coloring her hair pink!

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  6. Love the post! I too, am a huge fan of blue. Just recently, I came across a blogger who posted a blog on her favorite color (and now mine) which was Robin's egg blue. Here in southeastern North Carolina, we paint the ceilings of our porches a light baby blue color. I absolutely love it!

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  7. I enjoyed this post, Donna!
    I was trying to decide which blue room/space was my favourite, but I couldn't make up my mind!! I definitely loved the blue bathrooms. And the blue dining room made me think of what you said about wanting to paint your dining room blue... would this be an inspiration pic for you? If so... lovely!
    Victoria @ DesignTies
    P.S. Congrats!!

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  8. I too love blue. I hope you get to Santorini, it's divine.

    I am visiting via Hooked on Houses.
    Please drop by and enter my giveaway.

    Have a blessed weekend!

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  9. We have 2 1/2 blue ceilings. But you had me at the blue hydrangea - my wife's #1 favorite. Thanks.

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  10. Blue is my favorite color. I have personal rule that I must always have a blue car and a blue toothbrush. Nothing else will do.

    But oddly, I've used almost no blue in my recent remodel. A lot of brown, little blue.

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  11. Those two upholstered chairs are gorgeous!

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  12. Hi,

    What a beautiful post. I love blue, the way it goes with almost every colour of the rainbow. Love decorating with it and living with it as accents in my home.

    Great post!
    Susan

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  13. Love this post!! I am doing a post on blue for Monday!! Thanks for stopping by Blue Hydrangea!

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