uick! What’s the favorite color in Scandinavian countries?
Say blue and you win the, well, blue ribbon. Teamed with white or yellow or orange, blue is such a Nordic classic it shows up even in the kitchen, where conventional wisdom contends it’s too cool for this, the warm heart of the house.
But not for its looks alone is blue favored. As old wives tell it in Scandinavia—and beyond—there’s something about the color blue that’s supposed to keep houseflies away. (Who knows why but another fly? We’ll wait for “The Discovery Channel” to explain.)
Meanwhile, blue has become a favorite kitchen hue even where there’s nothing to be bugged by. No problem comprehending its inherent charms. Blue is indeed cool—which also makes it calm and calming, invariably more refined-looking than a kitchen decked out in colors from the other, hot-blooded side of the family, the reds and yellows.
Blue is also traditional. Its color roots trace right back to early Colonial days in this country, a direct heritage, no doubt, from immigrant forebears who included many Scandinavians wise in the ways of comfortable living.
Blue is also a wonderfully sociable color: It mixes easily and happily with a number of other colors, like the aforementioned yellow and orange. A word of caution here: If you know your color wheel, you know that such hot colors are complements to blue, that is, its direct opposite. Put complements together and things start vibrating (think what happens to complements green and red at Christmas time). Rooms decorated in complementary colors can’t help being warm and lively—or loud and challenging, depending on your point of view.
Other blue color combinations can be sophisticated and serene. Blue and white has to be the world’s number one twosome, a classic combination that’s as old as time and yet never looks tired or hackneyed. In a kitchen, blue and white is always right, totally fail-safe.
Blue can also go it alone. Which simplifies the decision-making process, except for one problem—which blue? A powdery pastel? Sophisticated navy? Blue grayed-down to gunmetal?
No matter which blue you choose, chances are you’ll please the man of the house. Study after study confirms the fact that of all the colors around the wheel, blue is the one most males love best...unless, of course, you happen to be talking about a male housefly.
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