When I think of the colour blue, the amazing city of Chefchaouen springs to mind. The small streets are filled with beautiful shades of blue. Originally they were painted by the Jewish settlers to ward off the mosquitos. Nothing bit me so it must work!
After leaving Marrakesh, where it felt as though someone might hurt you if you didn’t buy anything, Chefchaouen was so refreshing. It was almost as if the blue had put people into a permanent state of calm.
The city has been brought to life by varying shades of coloured pots and patterned tiles in the entrances. It was amazing seeing this beautiful place with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe I was actually here. Wow, this place was even better than all the pictures.
While I wondered through the bright streets I came across these magnificent bags of multicoloured powdered paint (above). It looked fantastic against the blue wall…my heart skipped a few beats. It was so beautiful I said, “look Robbie,” to my teenage son who glanced up from his phone giving me that bored look replying, “yup.” I could only assume from the enthusiastic response that he didn’t have the same emotions running through him as I did! Well you can’t expect a teenage boy to get excited over colour.
We see colour all around us but most of us never really stop to think how powerful it is.
For example, red is not the best colour to have in a bedroom. I remember my parents coming to visit us. We had organised accommodation in a place nearby, the first thing I had to do was get to the place before my mother arrived to hide this awful red bedspread in the nearest cupboard. I knew that one poorly chosen bedspread could make her hate the whole place!
Many people are afraid of colour when doing an interior, so they opt for a more monochromatic pallet. To help you use colour in your space, think about how it makes you feel. Some colours relax you and others will make you feel tense. Different colours can trigger memories of somewhere you may have been and it may be a good or a bad memory. I know for me, blue will always trigger the magic memories of my adventures in Morocco.
