Monday, March 30, 2015

Rethinking lavender


Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have a strong aversion to purple. It's a joke in my family that when there is a choice of colors someone invariably jokingly asks if I would like the purple one.
 No, I would not.
 Lavender gets a suspicious side-eye from me for associating so closely with the purple but I recently found a color that has me rethink the whole lavender thing.


It's called Provence blue but it more closely resembles lavender. Not just any lavender but a divine grayish, pale blue lavender. Nevertheless it is very lavender and in possession of some kind of pixie magic that makes me like it and also hard to photograph.  I tried to find a Ben Moore or Sherwin-Williams color that matched but nothing was close. If I had to choose SW 6815 Awesome Violet is the closest but its still far too muddy and gray. It was not big deal deal to me until I began to notice that it looked great no matter what I put it next to, in fact other colors improved it every time according to my eye at first. The more I used it the more I noticed that the adjacent color not only improved the lavender but the lavender improved all of the other colors. I tried it with a different lavender of my own creation and the effect was not the same.


This got me thinking that this particular shade could find a spot in my house after some deep breathing exercises and plenty of reassurance that it isn't purple. Purple is still right out (I am talking to you, Mom) so don't get any ideas.

14 comments:

Kristen @ Pursuing Vintage said...

I really don't like purple, either. But I love pinks of all shades. Do you think people love one or the other but not both?

therelishedroost said...

My sister just did her daughters room the loveliest shade of lavender and forgot how much I loved that color! Its so fresh and you picked some great images!!

Raina Cox said...

I knew there was a reason I liked you. I'm not a fan of purple either.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

The color Mauve typically leaves me wretching myself..... similar colors. I wonder what it triggers in our brains? I think any color though can be ok in the right place - and the right shade naturally! But keep mauve far away from me...even the word is sort of gross sounding!

Vel Criste said...

It's probably me having a baby at 40 that made me think of Lavender twice - i know adore the color too!

Dianne said...

I have a guest room in my house this color and love it...very relaxing. You are right, everything looks good with it.

Karena said...

That is such a creamy, delicious shade of lavender, Kerry, then again I do like purple! I love this shade though and look forward to seeing it in more of your paintings!

xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena

Windlost said...

Haha. Sometimes purple, in all its incarnations, irritates me too. My sister in law loves purple (her favorite colour in fact) and she has it in her home in all its insipid glory in some pretty heinous shades. I like the same purple you mentioned, a grayed out, blissed out subtle version and find it very elegant. When I see it like this, it always seduces me.

We have a running joke about ginger (the root!). David and I both love ginger but everyone got it in their head that David adores it and people are always getting him ginger candy and ginger chocolate and when they do, I always say "yes, David loves ginger" and he glares at me. He doesn't like it any more than the next guy, but like you, he's associated forever with it...

Very big of you to open your heart a crack to lavender. xo Terri

Sue Marrazzo Fine Art said...

what a nice color to add to the decor! I just bought a lt. lavender acrylic, too!!!!

LPC said...

With gray hair, purple is now one of my favorite colors to wear. Used to avoid it like the plague. Can't say it's anywhere to be found in my house, but that living room photo above is awfully pretty:). These things sneak up on one.

Linda {Calling it Home} said...

I could use this color, but never purple. My MIL loves purple, and I think it looks strange in her home.

Unknown said...

Actually I love shades of lavender and plum. This Provence blue reminds me of the beautiful colors in a purple hydrangea. I may try a color match and paint my bathroom this color. Thanks for sharing.

home before dark said...

I'm with AD on this one: it's a wretched/wretching color. Although John Saladino uses this color, and I don't find him either w/w/. As for dark purple, been there and done that. My first apartment in 1972 was orange, purple, red and yellow. What was I thinking?

Leslie @ Segreto Secrets said...

Such a beautiful shade! Lavender is hard to get just right in a mature setting, but looks so wonderful when you do!!
xo. Leslie
Segreto Finishes