Blue is the color of depth, dreams, and elsewhere. In interior design, it is a powerful tool for evoking emotion and transforming spaces. It is a hue as deep as the abyss and one of the lowest wavelengths the human eye can perceive.
Yves Klein explored the spiritual and sensory potential of pure blue with his famous monochromes. In 1960, he patented a pigment called IKB (International Klein Blue), which was vibrant, absolute, and almost immaterial. Despite never being produced on an industrial scale, this color/idea managed to influence the aesthetics of an era.
In 1970, another creative talent, Verner Panton, made blue the protagonist of Visiona II Fantasy Landscape, an installation (today we would call it ‘immersive’) where organic forms and chromatic psychedelia created a radical environment. It was like being in an aquarium with flashes of fuchsia, red, and yellow.
In Marrakech’s Majorelle Gardens, blue – a special hue named after the French painter Jacques Majorelle who lived there in the 1930s – paints the walls and fountains, contrasting with the lush greenery. The color evokes the coolness of shade, showcasing a scenic and identity-defining use capable of defining a place.
The bedroom in architect and urban planner Bruno Taut’s (1880-1938) 1920s house is more intimate: a light blue interior that reflects the expressionist ideal of a place capable of elevating the spirit.
The Bauhaus manifesto understands color as an “essential architectural medium,” capable of “structuring space and determining atmosphere,” thus affirming a function that is design-oriented, not merely decorative. Today, blue reappears in various shades, ranging from powder blue – sophisticated and consciously retro – to more vibrant and electric tones. A thousand personalities, all magnetic and captivating.
Artwork by Maripina Cappelletti
