Cobalt blue transforms a room

Cobalt blue is a fascinating color and the only color listed in the periodic table. It is a vibrant color that is familiar to most as the accent color used in blue and white Delft and Oriental export porcelain of the 16th through the 20th century, and as the color of the blueprints of yesteryear.

The color is also evocative of the ocean and of the summer.

Summer has come to your door. If your desire is to move your home away from the cold winter and start to adapt to the season of light, adding lively colors is the way to go. To shake away the cold and add impact to your transformation, I suggest adding an injection of the color of the season. This touch of electricity will energize your favorite room. There are many ways to use cobalt blue.

Choose the most important, architectural, prominent wall of the room and paint it cobalt blue. This wall should not be too overloaded or decorated, or the result will be too flashy. Choose a wall that is not hidden behind furniture, or above all, select a wall that does not have too many pictures or art. With the bold color of the paint, you compensate for that lack of or minimal decoration. Try Benjamin Moore Champion Cobalt 2061-20 or Twilight Blue 2058-10.

If you've been wanting to redecorate your living room or any room for some time, maybe now is the time to do it. Reupholstering the sofa is one way to start. Buy an occasional table or coffee table in cobalt blue or a distinct work of art that highlights this celestial tone. With bold colors such as this one, it is important to think big and make your furniture take all the attention.

Printed fabric will always be fashionable and gives a room a boost, especially if it is in cobalt blue. Stripes, patterns and prints are fun to combine, but you have to be very careful and take into account the rest of the room's decoration so that it does not clash.

Wall coverings are yet another way to add a splash of cobalt blue to a room. Scalamandre has an enlarged toile version called Summer Palace, a porcelain colored background and a mix of navy blue and cobalt blue chinoiserie print, which is breathtakingly beautiful. Pacific Design's Midnight Blue grass-cloth color is deep blue with a silky sheen perfect for a bedroom wall or an entire bedroom suite.

Following the lines of the latest interior trends, colorful accessories can achieve the result that we want if they are used correctly - a carpet, a vase, the decorative pillows of the sofa, the curtains or some flowers. Kitchen cabinets and kitchen appliances are another place where we are seeing cobalt blue emerge. All these add a fresh and summery touch to your home without having to transform the whole environment.

• Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida.

© 2017, Creators Syndicate