Periwinkle

Overlooking Portland Harbor with the
Casco Bay Bridge in the background

Chicory grows wild along the roadside and I have always loved the color...but is it blue....or is it purple? I think it's both...it's periwinkle.



While I was in Wisconsin Becky and her son Johnny and I painted a room which is going to become her project/craft room. We've been talking about it for a few years....and it was time.

Per usual....when someone is stumped about what color to paint I recommend they gather inspiration from things they love: fabric, photos, artwork, greeting cards...find a scheme that speaks to them.

Becky first identified the porcelain berries I posted about a while back as a color scheme she loves. So...for a while now Becky and I have been been passing back and forth images of soothing blues, purples, greens....and of course periwinkle.

 

When I got to her house a few weeks ago...she had a stack of paint chips and a pile of gathered inspiration. We spread it all out on the floor and and started mulling it over.  We talked about a neutral like a soft taupe or gray....but in the end we decided it needed to be a color. Unlike a bedroom with quilts and bed covers...this room was going to be work surfaces and shelving so it needed color on the walls. We landed on periwinkle....but it needed to be soft and soothing....not too "Easter eggish" and not too dark.

 

A page Becky colored with her scheme.

A gazing ball in her garden with her scheme.

We finally picked a color....a periwinkle that was more on the purple side. But once we got to Home Depot...we found Glidden Frosted Blueberry that was a little more on the blue side....but still periwinkle.  When you held it next to blue it looked purple...and when you held it next to purple it looked blue.  Perfect.  We liked that it was muted and soothing....a little grayed. This was it. Phew!

And because we both like Behr paint...they color matched it and we were on our way.

After some serious prepping we got the room painted...and we love the way Laura Meddaugh's artwork looks against it. The flooring needs to be replaced...so the room is still a work in progress....but there is progress.

Maybe some day I can post a picture of the finished room.  Right Becky?