COLOR TRENDS 2024 | Decorating with Cobalt Blue

If you are looking for an update on the color trends for interiors for the next year, these series of “Color Trends 2024” posts are created for you.

Today we explore more about beautiful cobalt blue. Darker than sky blue, lighter than navy blue, it’s the perfect blue color and in fact was the favorite also by Yves Klein. That’s why it’s also known as International Klein Blue or, more specifically, as YInMn Blue .

Cobalt Blue color trend 2024

Color codes

hex: #265ef7; PANTONE: 2727 C

About YInMn Blue

The name derives from its chemical components’ symbols on the Periodic Table of Elements: yttrium, indium and manganese. This special blue was also called “Bluetiful” after a competition held in England and the United States in 2017 to find a “popular” name for this color.

The pigment is the first new blue discovered in 200 years, accidentally invented by Mas Subramanian. The professor of materials science at Oregon State University was doing research on materials and electronic devices, when a sample he had put in the furnace came out in a beautiful, very intense and vibrant hue of ultramarine blue.

The color obtained is a pure color, that is a color without any addition of black or white pigments, and without any degree of toxicity inside, as instead it is for many other blue pigments created in the past ( for example Prussian blue).

Another version of the blue pigment which is close to YInMn blue is known as International Klein Blue (IKB), created by artist Yves Klein in 1947. Initially using ultramarine (one of the most popular blues used among artists in all ages – especially during Renaissance), he created nearly 200 blue monochrome paintings, trying to capture sky’s blue.

Blue: other Facts and inspirations

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Blue is known to be the favorite color among people, as research from the University of Maryland proved ( with blue as the favorite color among 42% of men and 29% of women). Although another more recent research in 2017 proved that the favorite colour was a deep teal.

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Blue in Eastern cultures is associated with spirituality and immortality. Hindus associate blue with Krishna, the god of love and joy, and Judaism associates blue with divinity and holiness. In middle-east cultures such as in Greece and Turkey, blue is the color of the evil eye, a talisman that is meant to protect from these evil spirits.

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Blue is considered a positive and non-threatening color, therefore it is one of the most chosen colours in branding, advertising, and product design. However, “the blues” in some cultures may also evoke feelings of sadness and depression

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The earliest forms of blue were extracted from the semi-precious limestone rock mixture ‘lapis lazuli’ in Middle east. The word comes from the Latin ‘lapis’, which translates into ‘stone’, and ‘lazuli’ meaning ‘blue’. Blue pigment has always been a one to be found and processed, therefore the popular association of the colour blue to mysticism in many different cultures.

How to decorate with Cobalt Blue

color trends 2024

Intense blues are emerging everywhere in the last years and under various names too; including Electric blue, Hyper blue, Cobalt blue even under the bracket of inky blues.

Add a splash of paint in this hue of blue or bring in through accessories wall art, cushions to a sculptural lamp can be instantly invigorating.

For an updated look, match this brilliant blue with pastel colors and baby blue, to enhance its surprising brilliance. Or try it together terracotta to create a beautiful contrast, or why not play around with combining with pinks, warm and cosy caramel or other earthy tones. Blue bright with terracotta- practically the exact opposite. Embrace blue whether you are maximalist or a minimalist, this colour can be an instant mood – booster for your interior.

|| Be inspired by the blue color trend in this post