The Blue Porch Ceiling Tradition
There’s nothing quite like sitting on a front porch at daybreak, drinking a cup of coffee and enjoying a beautiful morning. The sound of birds chirping, with a cool breeze in the air is nothing short of perfection. And neither is the front porch’s blue ceiling. From dark navy and cobalt, to teal, aqua, indigo, and the palest of powder blues, blue porch ceilings are popping up all across the country. But where exactly did this trend and current craze originate? Why, the South of course.
If you’ve recently taken a stroll through historic Southern neighborhoods, prevalent in old coastal cities such as Charleston, Savannah, and Wilmington, then you surely admired the beauty of each city’s historic homes and their magnificent front porches. What you may not have noticed was the subtle hint of unexpected color shining down from the ceiling of each porch. This long standing Southern tradition, dating back to the 1800’s, is said to have numerous benefits.
Often referred to as “haint blue” by Southerns, the blue porch ceiling is said to repel ghosts and evil spirits known as “haints.” These spirits are said to believe the blue ceiling is actually the sky or a body of water. Weather this is true or not, the blue porch ceiling can still be seen as just that- an extension of nature. Sue Walden, the director of color marketing for Sherwin-Williams says, “people paint the porch ceiling blue because the color seems to emulate the natural sky and makes the daylight hours feel as though they last just a little longer.” And who wouldn’t want that?
Blue ceilings are also said to deter insects including spiders and wasps. They may even help prevent birds from nesting under your little piece of covered heaven. These old wives tales may or may not be true, but one thing is for certain, your blue porch ceiling is sure to draw attention. This popular trend has spread rapidly North, and has even been a huge topic of conversation on major design networks including HGTV. And we are all for it!
Our sister company, Palmetto Ceramic Coatings, located in South Carolina has taken part in several beautiful home exterior makeovers, and our absolute favorite is this beauty which included a blue front porch ceiling. Seriously, we’ve never see something so beautiful!
We could live outside on this porch every day! But, who wouldn’t? If you’re thinking of giving your home a facelift, and you just so happen to have a porch, we definitely recommend taking a little risk and trying out this long standing tradition. It won’t disappoint. And even if it does, paint is the EASIEST thing to change on a house.
Now, if you need us, we’ll be sitting in one of those rocking chairs on this front porch, enjoying the beautiful weather. Can you really blame us?
