Through the process of researching our September Color of the Month and compiling inspiring interiors and decor in this shade, I came across some pretty interesting online debates that verged on hostile. Apparently, defining this color can stir up some heat. Surprising for such a peaceful color. (You’d think we’d picked fire engine red.) Is it possible that a greater internal struggle surfaces not when asking “To be or not to be” but rather…
…what is the difference between “indigo” and “navy”? And which blue is a true indigo blue? Various shelter magazines and home decor stores have called all of these blues…indigo…
(clockwise) House Beautiful, Ralph Lauren Home, Real Simple, Elle Decor
Since indigo is such a contemplative color, here are a few quotes from members of our color team followed by our favorite indigo-infused designs…all for you to ponder.
Indigo is an intriguing alternative to black; this inky color calls forth fall and has a soothing, global style. — Kelley Walters, Executive Editor
Diesel Home Collection by Moroso
Indigo is nautical navy’s sexy, mysterious cousin. — Liz Gray, Senior Editor
Designer Paola Navone’s Milan apartment via Interieurs
There is a spiritual quality to indigo that makes it so enticing. — Anna Millman, Online Manager
French by Design via Style Files
From Me To You :: Hudson Merchant House, NY
Indigo reminds me of brand new blue jeans on the first day of school, when the weather just starts to turn cooler. — Marianne Canada, HGTV Home Studio
This shade of blue is so fresh that it makes me want to redo everything I have (even my wish-list items) in this color. Indigo feels very organic. I think of the natural dyes used all over the world and am nostalgic for ink-stained hands. I want more, more, more. — Lili Zarghami, Managing Editor
Anthropologie (left) + John Robshaw Textiles (right)
After reflecting on these indigo designs, will you decorate with this inky, mysterious, organic color?
Tell us in the comments below.
We painted our media room (just our third bedroom that we use for evening TV watching) in Farrow and Ball Hague Blue. It is a dark, inky blue. It has a ton of pigment (it's like pudding coming out of the can!) with a tinge of green. It is a fabulous color that made me fall in love with navy all over again!
Navy or Indigo?
Indigo
That Hague Blue is such a fabulous color! I was just researching it and found one source that says it was inspired by Dutch blue (hence the name). It does seem very European, indeed. Great color choice for a media room.
[...] of Blue, West of Violet : September 2011 HGTV Design Happens Fri, September 2, 2011 12:00 PM UTC HGTV Design Happens Rate this story Share this story [...]
About 8 years ago I painted my bedroom a non descript color of a gray blue. Today there is a company that has given its material products a name for this color. They call it Porcelain Blue. It is a very beautiful settling color. One can totally relax with this color around them. Even my young grand daughters , when they come to visit like to sit and talk in my room. They say the color makes them feel comfortable and relaxed in the room.
I totally agree with you, @Suzanne! Indigo is somehow both bold yet soothing and comforting. I think that's part of what makes it so versatile.
I have fallen into a worm-hole of researching the definition of true indigo–help! At least it's really pretty here.
I love blues. My current bathroom is a nice deep navy with terra cotta accents. Blues are calming. I wish more people would give "color" a try in their homes.
I would like to do one wall in my living room an indigo color. I think darker rather than a lighter. I think it would make a beautiful pop!. with the other walls in a heavy cream color. then decorate here and there with indigo pillows slip covers, a bit in the curtains; and maybe a coffee table stripped down and redone with an indigo washed out color. What do y'all think?
Sounds super! If you do it, please post a picture of it on my website to share! I just received the latest Pier1Imports flyer of new arrivals and they have a page devoted to peacock themed items with lots of teals, aquas and blues. I think it is a great direction to go for somebody looking for color story. Peacock! I want to do a room like this now!
I have to get this book: Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World by Catherine McKinley http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/books/catalog/indigo…
I feed my #Hydrangeas a mixture with aluminum sulfate just to attain that hue!
Wow! That I wish I could see. Sounds beautiful, Kathy! P.S. My father lives in Bucks County! I sure do miss that area and all its greenery living in NYC.
I agree with the person who compared Indigo to new, dark wash jeans. Many of the colors used in the photos I would catagorize as Cobalt Blue.
I LOVE blues. My living room walls are a blue gray called Rocky Cliff. My bedroom walls are a different blue called December Winds.
My couch is a neutral beige with accent pillows of dark blue large color blocks. Pictures, black and white engravings,are matted in navy.
Blue is calming. Men don't mind it because it is also the color of Navy, Police and Marine dress uniforms, the ocean and sky, and isn't specifically feminine.
Great color of the month choice! Indigo makes me think of Japanese blue and white textiles, which are the color of that pillow on the bottom left of Anna's post. My husband brought back a lot of items in that color from Japan when he was there — my favorite is a little drawstring bag that I used to use for carrying a lunch. We also have several of the Japanese door curtains called noren in blue and white. They are great for when you want to leave doors open but don't really want to see the insides of rooms! There is a Japanese denim company called Pure Blue Japan which uses pure indigo dye as well as natural plant indigo to achieve their color. The picture of the fabric at the top of their home page is the color I think of as indigo:
http://www.purebluejapan.jp/
CplusE – thanks for sharing the link. Very cool to learn about Pure Blue Japan. And now I will do research on noren (curtains)!
Beautiful pics. I love indigo. It's the perfect shade for the element of Water in feng shui in place of black. Softer, yet still rich. Like a deep, deep body of water.
I do love the color indigo. These pics are beautiful. By all means love this color as much as possible
Peaceful color! Great pics, but I have to say the heads on that shelf are a little creepy!:)
that was my thought too. LOL
I thought the same thing
I have used all shades of blue for years, but it seemed to go out of style for a decade. I collect blue and white Chinese export porcelain and display it all over my house. I made lined draperies and a bedskirt from indigo and white toile that I still adore after 8 yrs. I'm so glad to see all shades of blue come back in style!
I named Indigo (and Navy) the color of the month about 3 years ago
Haven't looked back since!
Thumbs U[!!
Love It…….. Will you please come do my house………….It's a panelling nightmare..all of it!!
painted paneling can be beautiful, I have been to some homes that painted it white and you could not tell it had been paneling
I agree that painting is a great solution if you don't care for the wood. You don't need to fill in – just prime and paint as-is. I like the texture. White isn't necessary either. Pick whatever color you would use if it was drywall or plaster.
Y'all are so right on! It would need a little sanding first, for the primer to stick. Painted paneling can look gorgeous!
Wow, I love Bunny Williams' kitchen with the indigo cabinets. It looks like denim. I figured if I redid my kitchen cabinets I would paint them white but I am just blown away with Bunny's design. Great job.
I too loved those cabinets! Wonderful job!
We have indigo tile in our master bedroom shower. It was installed in 1983 when the house was new! It is still gorgeous. We also put laminate counter top in the kitchen that is a beautiful indigo blue… almost a dark marble look. We have enjoyed these indigo blue touches in our home whether they were "in style" or not! Glad to hear the color is now swinging toward the "in style" side!
Gosh I hope they share what colors Bunny Williams used in her kitchen design. GORGEOUS and I usually despise blue in kitchens.
At first I thought "Indigo?! You've got to be kidding!" But as an accent color in the room I think it is very calm and classy. I love the combination of beige and indigo in Tom Scheerer's living room photo on the left. Beige always needs help. This deep blue is lovely. Thanks for some new ideas.
Indigo, yes a very intense color but one that relaxes a person. I have a quilt that was once a prop in Ashland, OR "garage sale". Talk about delighted to being able to purchase the quilt. Starting my erlier years in the country, I agree indgo can give elements of the country. It is a color worn by many in Japn.
i love this color! it's beautiful and yes, very organic and world- decor friendly looking. what's with the indigo/navy confusion? navy is flatter, darker and indigo is lighter, richer
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Technically speaking, true indigo is not a pure blue shaded with black as navy is, but has a small amount of red as well, leading it slightly in the blue-violet direction.
indigo is the one color that gives you that ''aaah feeling''at the top of your heart and in the pit of your stomach,both at the same time,kind of like falling in love.
You've summed up indigo perfectly!
Nice alternative to black
I just did my bedroom in williamsburg blue, indigo and white. I just love it and it is so peaceful. I love waking up in my beautiful room. I found a small chair that looks like the one in the picture . Bought it home without knowing if it would be the right color. It just matches perfect. My husband just recently passed away and I arranged my home so that I could be all on one floor. So thats why I have a new bedroom. Like the comment by Constance " it gives me that aah feeling at the top of my heart and in the pit of my stomach, both at the same time, kind of like falling in love"
Thumbs up! Love the indigo.
I love the indigo..it's close to the blue I have in my laundry room. Since it's a small room, it works. Don't think I'd paint a large room with it, but I surely would use many accent items in the Indigo.
The last room in my house that needs redone is my bedroom. Guess what color I have just decided on? Indigo Blue!!!!!! Thanks, love it.
It's a perfect bedroom color. The color of our bedding.
My kitchen counters are this color and I have had the worst time trying to decorate around it. ANy and all ideas would be most welcomed! THANK YOU
SUZ – with the caveat of not knowing the style of your kitchen, you may like to take some color cues from these links: http://www.johnrobshaw.com/products.htm?souk=Pill… http://www.johnrobshaw.com/shop.htm?textiles=Pill…
One of the most handsome kitchen re-dos I've seen had cobalt blue (in the same family as indigo) tiles on the wall with beech-toned Ikea cabinets. The beech tone is is a light, very soft orangish color. You can check it out on the website. So, with your indigo countertop, you could combine paint or tiles or wood in the light, soft (somewhat grayed-out or heathery) yellow-orange part of the spectrum. Avoid too bright or harsh or garish colors.
One more thought: A beautiful and easy color scheme is simply blue and white! Look up Delft tiles, blue and white toiles, or any type of blue and white fabric, ceramics and ceramic tiles, curtains. I'm thinking also Talavera ceramics (many with bright blues), white linen for curtains or white curtains of any kind… You can have lots of fun and little anxiety with this color scheme!
White for a crisp, clean look. Soft beige or light gray more sophisticated, buttery yellow for French or just plain fun.
buttery yellow would be beautiful!
love the blue!!
A dark blue has been my favorite color for years. My home has been decorated with navy's and indigo's sometimes paired with burgundy or what I call wine color (you know….THAT pink shade). I can't seem to get enough.
love these things pillows, furniture, etc.
How delightful to have a true blue make the pick. I have a considerable number of cobalt blue glass things and consider it my primary accent color. I know a number of others who also pick up every cobalt blue piece they can find. I've heard that blue is the favorite color of most men. So why, pray tell, is it so hard to find cobalt blue in good looking fabrics? There is no end of choices if your color is gold, or red, or burgundy, or green. How about some attractive black, taupe, white, and a smidgeon of blue, and possibly deep teal contemporary and traditional patterns, fabric designers? It's time!
I'm hoping to hit Forsyth Fabrics in Atlanta this weekend. I will keep an eye out!
Blues with a tint of purple goes with everything you can change a lot of household items, drapes, rugs, etc. without changing the walls. I had these colors for over 20 years for this reason. Every time I thought I would go different it would end up with the blues. I had to make myself stop and went to the I call the color funky greens, tans, browns, burgundy's, and oranges (not bright) go something different. But the thing with these colors you have to be careful of shades and hues of color. I still love the blues.
No matter what colors I consider using in decor, I always come back to blue. Fortunately, blue can partner beautifully with so many other colors. I love blue.
We have had navy carpet in our living, dining, and TV rooms for 20 years. It wasn't a color that was "in" way back then, but neither has it ever gone "out." And anyone who comes to visit loves the color because it is different. It looks so rich with dark browns.
I love Indigo blue, I recently remodeled and we did shag Indigo Blue carpet in the bedroom and painted just the walls a Sherwin Williams Nomadic Desert, Beige color, painted the ceiling white. It's a wonderful combination for a nautical theme.
Sounds beautiful!
I love Indigo blue, I recently remodeled and we did shag Indigo Blue carpet in the bedrooms and painted just the walls a Sherwin Williams Nomadic Desert, Beige color, painted the ceiling white. It's a wonderful combination for a nautical theme.
[...] But as a (mostly) grown-up girl, I haven’t experimented much with natural dyes. So in honor of September’s Color of the Month, I’m trying one of the world’s oldest, richest dyeing techniques: indigo. From growing the [...]
[...] But as a (mostly) grown-up girl, I haven’t experimented much with natural dyes. So in honor of September’s Color of the Month, I’m trying one of the world’s oldest, richest dyeing techniques: indigo. From growing the [...]
[...] Comments Tweet HGTV celebrates their color of the month with a number of finds from our indigo collection — HGTV Make your first apartment a knock out with tips from west elm’s Vanessa Holden — [...]
My den/media room was painted navy blue back in 1995. Now it's back in style! Great!
I love blue, indigo, especially matched with the color opposite, orange, and browns, creams and the like. I am an artist and recently finished a floral painting with deep blues and bright orange. I did this instinctively without knowing the color of the month.
Very cool!
I love that comforting shade of blue, especially the blue wall in the Hudson Merchant House photo. I am considering redoing my living are in blue and white, but haven't found fabrics or furniture that inspires me yet. Love paisleys, Jacobean prints and some large florals.
Well, with indigo rising in popularity, I'm sure you will find some inspiring options soon!
Oh, and Ann, check out this post, perhaps more blue inspiration? http://blog.hgtv.com/design/2011/05/02/color-of-t…
I'm in the process of redecorating my living room and I picked an indigo blue fabric for my windows (Kasmir Christofle Royal). I LOVE them. It will make the long room feel so much more cozier. I can't wait until it's all done.
I loved the kitchen with the blue and the granite. Made me almost wish I could cook!
My kitchen walls are painted indigo with white cabinets and it rocks! I was not sure I would like it but it pops and pulls the shade from my granite! I enjoy the color as a refreshing change.
I don't care what you call it – blue has always been my favorite color and it is certainly reflected in my home. I am so glad it is back "in" again; it has been really hard to find blue home decor for a number of years.
When I was a child, a friend's mother (her father was a big-time home builder, and they always had the latest decor) had a blue and white kitchen that I loved. As an adult, I have had three different kitchens since 1986, and all three have been indigo blue and white. It looks so clean and fresh even after many years of use. Scandinavian, Dutch and Oriental blue and white accent pieces all work well with it. And while wood cabinetry goes from light to dark to pickled and back again, white cabinets are timeless with just a little updating of the hardware. I doubt if I will ever have any other combination.
I think indigo is just plain ole royal blue.