April: Delft Blue

acw: Best & Lloyd, Blue Roses, Yves Saint Laurent, Eva Sonaike, Jardin Majorelle, Eva Sonaike, Hermes Glasses,  Aldo Londi, Diptique, Top Shop, Lovegrove & Repucci, Ippolita

Are you feeling blue this month? With spring in the air and blossoms everywhere, I am definitely not! But I am very much feeling our amazing April ‘Colour of the Month’: Delft Blue. I love this deep Mediterranean blue by Fine Paints of Europe, which is inspired by Delft pottery, the tin-glazed, blue and white pottery made in the Netherlands from the 16th century. Being one of the primary colours, the amazing thing about blue (both in interior and fashion) is that it is the easiest colour to use in colour schemes as it blends in easily with most other colours. It is also the least "gender specific" colour, having equal appeal to both men and women. Dark blue is calming and sedate, aids intuition and represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness. It is the colour of the ocean waves on a hot summer's day and been used for years in interior decorating, especially in warm climates or beach houses. Navy blue, especially combined with bright white, gives a crisp, clean feeling to any room. And if you want to tone down the navy blue decor, add a little pale yellow; this will offset the navy without detracting from it. When it comes to fashion, don't we all love our dark blue denims? Skinny-fit, boyfriend-shape or wide-legged, blue denims are essentials of everyone’s wardrobe. And again, combined with either a white shirt and a navy blazer for the classical look or a coral silk blouse and gold loafers for the colour lover, blue denims work with everything. One of my favourite cities is Marrakesh and I could not dedicate a month to the colour blue without mentioning the amazing Jardin Majorelle of the late Yves Saint Laurent. It is one of the most mesmerizing and beautiful gardens in the world and the overall usage of vibrant blue is truly stunning. I will write more about it this month, as well as about other ideas to use blue in your homes and wardrobes.