Colour Spotlight SS 2020: Dutch Blue
Some colours dip in and out of popularity, while others stubbornly refuse to disappear.
Colour trend professionals tend, like magpies, to be drawn to the new and novel. Anything with a hint of traditionalism being ignored or dismissed as old fashioned. This is not however, the case with Dutch Blue.
A rediscovered classic
Like classic novels and historic paintings, traditional colours such as Dutch Blue have nothing to prove when it comes to longevity and usefulness. In our SS 2020 story Idyll we embraced rather than abandoned tradition, spotlighting colours with strong historical connections.
Timeless hue
Dutch Blue is a beautiful, moderate greyed-off hue that whispers sweet nothings in your ear, and has held its own throughout the last 300 years for domestic interior colour choices. A regency favourite, Dutch Blue was included in samples of 1807 distemper colours. While it's popularity dipped in the latter part of the19th century, it proved a pleasing antidote to the exuberant choices of the Victorian and Edwardian age, and was subsequently used throughout the 1930s.
Scandinavian choice
Unsurprisingly, given its propensity for colours with longevity, this is a popular choice with Scandinavian designers; Muuto utilised it effectively in its Fiber office armchairs, while it's a perennially popular colour for Normann Copenhagen, seen in the Case table and Hyg sofa as well as in their ceramics collection.
Quietly lovely
While other more attention seeking colours battled it out during 2019's design weeks, this particular shade of blue gently made its presence felt, offering a measured and quietly lovely alternative to more on point choices. A perfect example of mellow elegance is Moroso’s curvy Heartbreaker sofa, designed by Johannes Trope.
Surface and pattern
Dutch Blue is proving a key direction in surface applications, in particular wall coverings thick with historical references. Sandberg’s Japanese garden inspired Kenrokuen paper with dreamy trees, ponds and bridges and Cole & Sons playful Frutto Proibito featuring flora, fauna and mischievous monkeys illustrate this historical connection between colour and pattern.
Much of this stealth popularity is due to Dutch Blue’s generous nature as a hard working neutral. We see a slightly cooler version of this shade developing in the shape of Blue Calcite for AW 2020/21. It seems Dutch Blue is here for a while yet...
Image credits from top:
Cole & Sons | Colefax & Fowler | Panaria Ceramica | Muuto | Normann Copenhagen | Moroso | Sandberg