Americans have been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since the 1850’s. But if you’re knowledge of Irish history only goes as deep as a mug of green beer you might be surprised to learn that in Ireland this holiday is not celebrated as wildly as in the U.S. and that there is not a historic connection between green and St. Patrick.

It is only in modern times that green has become associated with St. Patrick’s Day. Blue, not green, is the color long associated with St. Patrick.

A green shamrock was a symbol that St. Patrick had used to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish and ‘the wearing of the green’ meant to wear a shamrock to display your faith.

It is widely believed that beginning in the mid-1700’s people mistook the phrase to mean wearing green garments and we all know the rest of the story…the wearing of green has become ubiquitous with St. Patrick’s Day.

In fact green has become so strongly attached not just to this holiday but to Ireland many believe that it is the ‘official’ color of the country. While there is no official color two hues of blue, St. Patrick’s Blue and Presidential Blue are widely used by the Government of Ireland.

Presidential Blue is darker than St. Patrick’s Blue and both can be seen the football (soccer) uniforms of Dublin County and the liveries of Aer Lingus. Presidential Blue appears in the Irish Crest and St. Patrick’s Blue can be seen behind the gold bardic harp on on the ancient Irish flag.

So while I’ll still be ‘wearing the green’ today my heart will be ‘true blue’ all the way down to my Irish roots.

PS- I can’t help but wonder if the green really came about when the first creative pub owner tried to make blue beer. Blue food color + yellow beer…oops! Hmm, how can we spin this? Can’t let all that good beer go to waste! ☺

Happy St. Paddy’s Day

In celebration of America’s love affair with the color Blue, the mag and some of our favorite furniture companies have teamed up to create a kind of “Where’s Waldo-meets-scavenger hunt-meets….do I dare say it: Blues Clues.”

The blue chairs were placed throughout Manhattan (one even made it across the bridge to Brooklyn) photographed and then taken away into safe hiding…but come March 1, 2010 they will magically appear back in their same spots and guess what?  The ultimate game of Finders Keepers will ensue.

You heard it right.  Figure out where these sky/sea hued perches are perched, bring your pick-up truck (or perhaps hail a cab) and add a bit of blue to your own abode.  Happy Hunting—here are your clues:

the “Avalon Child’s Chair” from Target

Palecek’s “Manhattan Hassock” in Cobalt Blue

The Container Store’s “Polo Desk Chair”

“Village Azzuro” Blue Side Chair from Crate & Barrel

Room & Board’s American-made “Cole” chair

The La-Z-Boy “Carlyle Reclining Chair” in Blue

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams’ “Wyatt” chair in Bevan-Sky

“Eames® Molded Plastic Armchair” from Design Within Reach

Lee Industries’ 1703-01 Chair in Majestic Blue Fabric with Natural Nailhead trim

Arhaus Furniture’s “Giles” in Ocean Blue

Oh, by the way this baby is mine. And yes I do in fact know right where it is and f.y.i even if you threatened to hold your breath till you turn ‘blue’…I’m not telling!!!

For pricing and links to buy any of these beauties visit HB’s Flickr page.

Then be sure to check out all the other ways that House Beautiful is helping you to GET BLUE!!!!

Two trusted sites are also represented by red and blue. The American Red Cross, represented by the color red, http://www.redcross.org/.

UNICEF  is an organization represented by blue. http://www.unicefusa.org/

The people of Haiti have lost everything. We’re asking our readers to donate any amount they can. Would you consider going a week without a new magazine, a latte, that pair of shoes, or anything that is non essential in order to help those in need?

Our prayers go out  to everyone affected by this tragedy. With your help we hope that the disaster in Haiti becomes a story of how tragedy results in triumph.

First out of the gate this year was ICI with their Color of the Year: ‘Icy Blue’.  I love the clean, airy freshness that this color has.  To me this colors feels like a breath of fresh air and opens my mind once again to optimistic “the sky is the limit” thinking.

Next we heard from Pantone and their Color of the Year: ‘Turquoise’ a warmer take on blue.  While the color on the fabric sample sent with their press release seemed to be a rather insipid hue I do think the color appears to be much more interesting in the graphic images of their supporting images.

Of course it is hard to go wrong with me when it comes to this hue.  Anyone that knows me well knows that blue-green is a color that I enjoy in all of its many hues, tints, tones and shades.   Even my signature paint color ‘H2-Ahh!’ in Ellen Kennon’s Full Spectrum line is a complex neutral that is probably often described as bluish, greenish, gray.

Turquoise evokes all of the positive feelings associate with the healing powers and relaxing qualities of water.  Just the prescription for the frazzled nerves and unsettled emotions many have experience it the last year or two.

Now today Global Color Research released Verdigris as their first Color of the Year.  This hue is very close to Pantone’s Turquoise and in the same palette there is a blue that is strikingly similar to ICI’s Icy Blue plus four additional colors.

While it might surprise you that these organizations would come up with similar hues as their Color of the Year it makes perfect sense to those of us involved in color forecasting.  For example twice a year I participate in the color forecasting process with the Color Marketing Group and while each of the color professionals involved does their own independent research we often arrive at the meeting with almost identical colors.

No matter how many times this happens I still find it both amazing and reasuring.  Amazing because when each person picks just a half dozen colors to talk about out of all of the millions of choices the possibility that they will choose the same color seems quite improbable doesn’t it?

At the same time it is reassuring to have my own choices validated and to know that while color trend predicting is not an exact science that when global trends are distilled down to colors there is a synergy to our thought process.

It is for this reason that as you start to look around at the color trends from many companies you’ll see similar colors.  For example just take a look at The Hottest Paint Colors gathered by Christine Pittel for House Beautiful.  Many of the major paint brands have submitted their choice of a hot color for 2010.  Each paint color is different but as you look at them as a group you can see how similar they are to the colors above.

Do you have your own favorite ‘Color of the Year’?  Leave a comment and let me know.

You might also like to see some of our previous posts on the Color of the Year:

Trend Tuesday: ICI’s Color of the Year Icy Blue is Icy Hot

Pantone 2010 Color of the Year: Turquoise.

This fact also fascinated photographer Yoon JeongMee as she began exploring “the trends in cultural preferences and the differences in the tastes of children (and their parents) from diverse cultures, ethnic groups as well as gender socialization and identity” in 2005 through a body of work she calls The Pink & Blue Project.

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As a child my own son was never obsessed with a single color but I have known many children who have (or had) a mono-hue mindset.  Even so I never realized the impact of their “color love” until viewing this series of photographs.  Yikes, some of these young boys and girls seem almost lost in their many, many, (way too many) treasures of pink or blue.

What Yoon JeongMee has to say about The Pink and Blue Project:

This project began with my daughter. My six -year-old daughter loves pink. She wants to wear only pink clothes and only own pink toys and objects. My daughter is not unusual. Most other little girls in the United States and South Korea love pink clothing, accessories and toys. This phenomenon seems widespread among various ethnic groups of children regardless of their cultural backgrounds. This preference is the result of cultural influences and the power of pervasive commercial advertisements such as those for Barbie and Hello Kitty. Through advertising, customers are directed to buy blue items for boys and pink for girls. Blue has become a symbol of strength and masculinity, while pink symbolizes sweetness and femininity.

To make The Pink and Blue Project series, I visited children’s rooms, where I displayed their possessions in an effort to show the viewer the extent to which children and their parents, knowingly or unknowing, are influenced by advertising and popular culture.

Thanks Trendhunter.com for putting me onto The Blue and Pink Project!

You can see all of the photographs on Yoon JeongMee’s website and let me know what you think about all of the pink and blue.

Pantone just announced the color of the year for 2010: PMS 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue.

Here is what Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute® has to say about this year’s color of the year:

In many cultures, Turquoise occupies a very special position in the world of color.  It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that Turquoise represents an escape to many – taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting, even if only a fantasy.

Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors.
With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.

In fashion, Turquoise makes a statement that can look elegant and dressy in fine silk and gemstones, or casual and fun in cotton and athletic apparel. Because of its versatility, Turquoise is a great accent color in jewelry, purses, shoes, hair accessories and even nail polish for women, and ties, shirts and sportswear for men.

Read an article in today’s Seattle Times or visit Pantone.com

Check out the post we wrote about the trend of many beautiful blue-green hues for the home…

a set of blue wheels- yes, blue nails- no way!

It’s all very personal the emotions that colors illicit… so when I discover someone having a colorful change of heart- it’s all very exciting to me.

A few months back I had the fun of interviewing Micheline Taillardat , founder of the amazing French furniture company that shares her name, in her NYC showroom.  At the time I learned that there was one color not represented in her amazing space of richly colored furnishings- blue.  She let me in on the fact that though she felt that blue was a nice color to wear, for home it was a hue she felt was a bit ‘too cold’ for her cozy-color liking. ( I found this little tidbit so interesting- it made me realize that sometimes knowing a person’s least favorite color is as insightful as knowing which ones are their favorites)

So when I caught site this week of her newest collection “Life In Blue’ , a collection dressed in fabrics and finishes influenced by the colors of the sky and sea-I was thrilled to see that Micheline was adventurous enough to disregard her feelings and give blue a fighting chance! In shades ranging from brilliant to smokey- her latest offerings are nothing short of tres magnificent!

Micheline you’ve inspired me to look at my own color boundaries- I noted today that the color green is represented in every room throughout my house…but not a stitch of it lives in my closet. Funny, somehow I was unaware.  My quest for a jewel of a dress- in emerald or jadeite perhaps- begins today!  I’ll keep you posted!

To read more about the message and meaning of your favorite ( or better yet- your least favorite color) check out our home site.

Check out this fun post about a very distinctive blue building and the use of color in branding  by Color Me Happy’s Maria Killam-love it!

pillows and fabrics from Calico Corners

The addition of fleshy golds and fresh greens warms up classic blue and white in home, in fashion- add in a touch of dingy gray, coal black and metallics ( either gold or silver would work) and you’ve got a look that’s totally futuristic boho.

Diane Von Furstenberg Resort 2010, Marni Spring 2009, Marc Jacobs Spring 2009 and Rodarte Fall 2009- images from Elle.com

image from NASA

I will be celebrating Earth Day today by starting a compost pile, planting some flowers, vowing to be more diligent about recycling, re-purposing, conserving water and worshiping all palettes blue and green.  Remember that old saying ‘blue and green never to be seen without a color in between’?  Well that theory has thankfully been blown out of the crystal blue water.. as blue and green make for a trendy and oh- so exciting combo in fashion this year.

Runway looks from Anna Sui, Christian Lacroix and Gucci

Issac Mizrahi, John Galliano, Louis Vuitton and Lanvin

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In home, pairing blue and green has become a modern classic.  Depending on the intensity of the hues – rooms can go from punchy and whimsical ( brighter shades ) to calm and serene ( the watery hues that I can’t get enough of right now!)  I clicked around the House Beautiful website… and here’s a few great examples that I found-

Keep the world a colorful, beautiful place… do something good for your enviroment today!

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Color theory tells us that when we see a hot color  ( like orange ) our eye naturally seeks out it’s cooler- across the color wheel compliment color ( in this case blue ).  The colors live as equals next to each other, balancing out and intensifying each other’s hues.

The Met’s shades of blue and orange are indeed intense next to each other- almost hard to look at.  Luckily the team’s uniforms are tempered by white ( home games) and black ( away ) backgrounds.  I’m pretty sure If the team hit the field in head -to- toe equal values of orange and blue I would have trouble focusing on David Wright as he hit a homerun or Jose Reyes run towards 2nd to steal a base.

Yet if attention is what you seek without clashing… than by all means nothing will achieve it quite like mixing together equal valued complimentary colors,  Funny enough as I sat at the game and looked over the crowd I realized how the Met’s team colors were so fashionable ‘in’ for summer 09.

Totes with a twist of color from Tory Burch and DKNY, polka dot dress by Monkee’s of Irving Park, blouse from Viktor & Rolf, shoes by Siergio Rossi

Notice how the gray, black, brown and white balance out the intense blues and oranges on the totes and shoe, while adding a lighter shade of blue and and introducing pink into the color mix have the orange and blue battling it out for your attention on the blouse.  Meanwhile the dress’s slightly lighter shade of blue allows the brighter orange dots and belt to take center stage.

The colors remain intense even though Dries Van Noten breaks up the pairing with neutral gray, golden tones and black, as does Marc Jacobs ( shown above)

Cameron Diaz hits the red carpet this spring in her own versions of the blue and orange trend. This time keeping the orange bright and the blue faded- black and white again balance out the scheme.

If bright orange and blue is too intense for you… than the classic pairing of a greener/blue with a reddish orange ( like the oh-so popular turquoise and coral ) may be more up your colorway this year.

greenish blues and orange are a knockout together when paired with brighter blues, paler oranges and gold

Runway looks from Jonathan Saunders and Pucci… bracelet from Intermix.com

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Drew Barrymore , always a fan of trendy colors, hits the red carpet last week in a white gown with accents of turquoise blue and coral beading

A current ad for Target uses a similar color scheme

And if you are in the market to go really bold this season, then pair the complement of blue and orange in an all new direction-

There really are some amazing color palettes with blue and orange happening out there, this runway look from Marni and a bench from Antropologie are two of my favorite schemes- I just love them paired with the unexpected shades of violet and green!

Hmmm, I wonder if the Met’s would ever consider adding just a little dash of purple to update their look?

Images Elle.com

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