Blue Porch Ceilings

When it came time to choose paint colors for our house, there was only one thing I was certain of - I wanted the ceilings of my porch to be blue.  That was my easiest decision.

My porch - August 2008

My Porch Ceilings:
Sherwin Williams
Open Air 6491
*SATIN FINISH

Blue porch ceilings are an old tradition dating back to the mid-1770s, when Prussian blue pigment became popular. Prussian blue was invented in Germany. Before then, blue pigment was pricey and the color didn't hold. Prussian blue was a light robin's egg blue.  In the mid 1800's the color took off in Aurora Colony and became known as Aurora blue.  

The shade of blue used for porch ceilings can vary, but usually it's sort of a sky blue or robin's egg shade.

Aside from the fact that the blue is very pretty, calming, and reminds one of the sky, there are two other interesting side benefits. 

It is believed that the blue color repels insects.  I read one article where a homeowner tested this out by painting half of his porch ceiling blue and left the other half white.  All the wasps nests were on the white side.  He was convinced.  Our porch is large and wraps all the way around 3 sides of the house.  We've had a couple of wasp nests, but nothing big.  And they were built attaching to our white trim.  Hmmm.  Maybe there's something to it.

 The other side benefit is less easy to prove. It is said that the blue chases away evil spirits. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, they call the blue color haint blue.  A haint, by the way, is a spirit or ghost.  I must say, we haven't had any problems with evil spirits since we moved here.

Thanks Shala!!!  This one is Sago Cottage on St John, Virgin Islands.

Cherry Hill Cottage - This porch belongs to Tina's sister Kathy, who lives in Houston - click here for more

  Thanks so much to Rose Vine Cottage  for recognizing this wonderful porch.  I should have known! Cherry Hill Cottage is a blog I follow regularly. Tina is so creative and so are all of her friends and relatives.

Note about photos in this post - I try to give credit when I use photos that are not my own.  Unfortunately, all but one of these photos were from my collection before I came up with a way to keep up with where they came from. If you know the source, please let me know, so I can give credit!