Trend Tuesday: Going “Blue-Green”

The statement Going “Green” has represented our efforts to build eco-awareness and to live a more self-sustaining lifestyle.  The color green dominates much of the natural world; grass, trees, and plants including food sources, which makes it an ideal backdrop in interior design.

And although “green” has been associated with the eco-friendly movement locally, a broader perspective is being expressed through blue globally. Picture looking down from space the majority of your view will be blue, right? Blue encompasses the beauty of the earth’s resources in water, sky, and minerals, bringing us a natural feeing of calm and relaxation.

Good for the mind, body, and spirit blue is perfect for our interiors.  So imagine the impact of these two colors merged into the tertiary hue of blue-green aka turquoise, teal, or aqua.

Nature is an amazing inspiration in all types of design. So when I think of blue-green the first thing that comes to my mind is tropical waters from around the world….

the second is Peacock feathers…..

and the third is Tiffany’s, of course! Ok, so Tiffany’s isn’t a part of nature (it’s just natural for us ladies to often dream of getting a new piece of the iconic jewelry), but it’s famous packaging is definitely influenced by it.

As a color trend forecaster I have the privilege of watching as the colors evolve from season to season and year to year. This evolution is key and is what separates a trend from a fad. The slow shift in color allows us to easily incorporate a trend into our décor without the fear of being “out-of-style” in just a few months. We’ve watched an interesting rotation around the color wheel over the past years.  Starting with lime green moving to grassy greens and into the pale blue-green aquas.  NOW were into the more vibrant, hip, and punchy Turquoise variations and the deep, subdued, sophisticated Teals.

Going forward blues will emerge as the dominant color family in home décor trends. Turquoise and Teal will continue to motivate design, as a full-range of blue-greens and blues offer numerous values from light to medium to dark. Here are some spaces successfully using blue-green creating schemes by pairing with other hues.

Monochromatic…simple and sophisticated using just one color family.

Analogous…combinations of these three to six colors. Cool, refreshing, and creative.

Complementary…a favorite combination of mine and one to be on the lookout for as we move into fall. This combo will help keep the freshness and warmth of summer alive into the cold months.

Split Complementary…adding another color. Let’s make it three!

Going all out with color…the full 6 color tertiary color scheme. Beware, attempt at your own risk. This one can get complicated, but the rewards are quite beautiful.