Classic Blue is Big — Here’s Help Using It in Your Home
BY CAROL BEATTY, DECORATOR AND WINDOW TREATMENT SPECIALIST, QUIGLEY DRAPERIES
This year's Pantone Color of the Year is Classic Blue. Yes! This is a rich, deep blue, lighter than navy, but with a lot of saturation. And guess what? It's easy to work with other colors!
What a change from previous years. Last year, 2019, the Color of the Year was a bold Living Coral. A pretty color, but hard to add without a complete redecorate. The 2018 Color of the Year from Pantone was Ultra Violet, an intense purple. Again, this was difficult to incorporate into a room without a total redo.
Pantone Color of the Year: Classic Blue.
Now, the Pantone 2020 Color of the Year is Classic Blue, 19-4052. A color described as "a groundless blue evocative of a vast and infinite sky," classic blue is a solid and dependable blue hue you can always rely on. It works well with white, black, grey, tan, greens, violets, gilded bronze, brush nickel, golds and yellows.
Besides, in West Michigan, blue is a natural with the water, sky and gorgeous sunsets.
Photo: Lafayette Interior Fashions.
Photo: Hunter Douglas.
We have always loved blue here, but Classic Blue is completely different from the old country blue. It is deeper, but not navy. Richer, but not neon. True blue with no aqua.
So have fun with Classic Blue, whether on a wall with paint, or maybe on a window with beautiful drapery or a shade. The key when using a deep, rich color as a background is to contrast a lighter tone on the floors, or ceiling, or both. That way, the blue will seem more intense and the lights will pop.
Another way to bring blue into a room with light walls and floor, is on the window treatments and furniture. The room below was large, but boring. The sun was very bright in the afternoon and the room was cold at night.
The addition of moveable drapery with a blue pattern to the top of the transom windows softened the space and framed the beautiful view. The tall line of the drapery connected the tall ceiling to the floor, creating a more intimate setting. The drapery colors mimicked the existing large painting. Adding to the new look was the deep, Classic Blue added to the dining chair seats for the final tie-together.
Photo: Lafayette Interior Fashions.
Perhaps a softer blue is more your style. The living room below started out as tan, with wood beams and light floor. The neutral furniture was easy to work with, but needed interest. The wow factor came with the addition of the drapery that tied the two long, single windows together with one overall rod in brushed bronze. The outside only panels, with lots of soft fullness, tied the windows together. (Note: they are extended wider on the outside trim as to not hide the gorgeous view.)
Next, soft Roman shades mounted inside the window frame added to the light control and interesting layering.
And, finally, the perfect blue pillows in the comfy, upholstered chairs finished the look.
Photo: Hunter Douglas.
I hope this inspires you to add Classic Blue for your new look in 2020!
Quigley Draperies, at 860 W. Broadway Ave. in downtown Roosevelt Park, features their own custom work room and installation, as well as experienced, trusted design assistance. Quigley's is celebrating 91 years of helping homeowners decorate their windows and are looking forward to 91 more. Call (231) 755-3248 or visit QuigleyDraperies.com.
Click here to return to CONTENTS PAGE.
Brought to you by our advertisers:
Our contributors:
Jazz: Midnight, with art inspired by jazz album cover design, drops readers into the late night music clubs of 1957. From Gary Scott Beatty. Click here for Jazz: Midnight.
Worlds, the first Gary Scott Beatty retrospective is now on Amazon. This 96 page collection includes early work, unpublished art, in-depth articles, a jazz art gallery and more. Click here for “Worlds.”
Wounds, Gary Scott Beatty’s zombie horror book with a twist, is now on Amazon. Click here for Wounds.
