How to use Pantone’s Classic Blue in your home

The latest in our guest blog series is by Natalia Peel from BritishStyleUK, who explains how to use Pantone's 2020 Colour of the Year, Classic Blue, in your home...

Pantone has announced the 2020 Colour of the Year as PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue. According to Pantone, this colour represents a dependable and stable foundation to move forward, into a new era. It brings calmness, confidence, and connection.

Via (https://www.dezeen.com/2019/12/10/classic-blue-pantone-colour-of-the-year/)

Blue exudes calm and tranquillity – think traditional, soothing, and strong. Pantone’s Classic Blue is a cooling and receding colour which can make rooms appear larger. Imagine sitting on the edge of a lake at dusk. This colour evokes confidence and dependability, it’s an easy and comfortable colour and can be used just about anywhere in the home. Classic Blue is also versatile which means it is going to be a popular choice of colour of the year. It’s best paired with coral, soft pink, or greens.

“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by Pantone 19-405 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute.

For a bright and airy glazed space such as a garden room, an adaptable main colour such as Classic Blue is perfect. It’ll ground the space in the warmer months, making it feel cooler and calmer amongst the bursting colour in your garden. Paired with pale neutrals such as stone, white or grey for a crisp and clean coastal scheme. This is also a very elegant and classic interior scheme base and will make your glazed space really feel like an oasis within your garden.

As the weather cools, you can add a layer of warming colours such as peach, coral, or soft pinks. This colour combination is perfectly complementary when it comes to colour theory in interiors. Consider the shades of the sky at sunset when it comes to this colour combination. My tip is to stick to just one shade of your complementary colour rather than mixing them for a contemporary feel. Adding throws, rugs and extra cushions in your garden room in winter will inject instant cosiness that’ll invite you in as a vantage point to enjoy your outside space.

Greens are also a perfect match with Classic Blue, either a deep forest green or a brighter shade such as the 2017 Pantone colour of the year; Greenery. In a space such as a garden room that is so intrinsically linked with the green outdoors anyway, you don’t need to use green in your furnishings or interior décor to have this ideal colour combination. Although if you want to link your outdoor and indoor spaces further, vibrant green houseplants would be a perfect addition. 

“The sky at dusk – it’s not a midnight blue, it’s thoughtful, but it’s not so deep and mysterious,” Laurie Pressman, Pantone Color Institute, tells TIME “It speaks to our feelings of anticipation, when you think about the sky at dusk, the day isn’t over. You’re thinking, what’s ahead of us? It’s reassuring, but thought-provoking. It highlights our desire for this dependable, anchoring foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era. We’re living in a time that requires trust and faith and confidence. We all see this blue sky and can relate to it, it’s approachable.”

Blue is my favourite colour to use in interiors and so I’m thrilled that Pantone has highlighted Classic Blue this year. It’s the backdrop colour of some of the places that inspire us the most. The shade of the endless ocean, the mountains in the background and the sky at dusk promising a new day ahead.

About Natalia Peel:

Natalia is an interior designer and blogger over at BritishStyleUK and currently renovating a pair of Victorian houses with her architect husband and three young children.