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Share Your Haint Blue Adventures

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From the lens Haint Blue - Mysterious and Elusive Paint Color.

  • moonlitta Apr 8, 2012 @ 11:48 am | delete
    Fascinating is just the word about your page!
  • jim Mar 10, 2012 @ 5:37 pm | delete
    is the photographer ted parreco from lorain,ohio
  • funcolors Apr 8, 2012 @ 1:05 pm | delete
    Hi Jim,

    No the Ted that took these photos is a painting contractor in Columbus.
  • Cindy Jun 28, 2011 @ 9:04 pm | delete
    I am in the process of having my house painted and I thought surely someone has written about the blue porch ceilings in Savannah and Charleston. I was really excited to be lead to this blog! I cannot wait to read more! I love color!
  • AnnGallops Mar 2, 2011 @ 10:35 am | delete
    Absolutely fascinating! I've just started collecting pics of the blue ceilings I see around (Maine & Brooklyn so far :) and was so glad to discover that the custom has a meaningful history, which could easily be linked to Feng Shui symbolism as well. I'll definitely link to this post when I write my own blog about this. Thanks!
  • colorhappy Mar 2, 2011 @ 7:08 pm | delete
    Looking forward to that blog post, Ann. Curious about Feng Shui symbolism. Your blog is such a great resource any way - can't wait for this addition.
  • sher0228 Aug 10, 2011 @ 11:01 pm | delete
    Check out Key West and Haint blue porch ceilings......a very haunted island....when founded was called the island of bones. Since spirits do not cross water, they are all trapped on the island. Homeowners paint the porch ceiling haint blue to prevent their crossing into the house.
  • Wilkes-Barre_Painter Feb 8, 2011 @ 11:08 pm | delete
    Great info and resources here. Thank you.
  • colorhappy Mar 2, 2011 @ 7:07 pm | delete
    Thanks, Wilkes-Barre!
  • Peg S Jul 12, 2010 @ 11:31 am | delete
    Loved your article on Haint Blue. I recalled our house in Connecticut where I lived as a girl. I always wondered why the only blue paint on the house was on the ceiling of a back porch facing the woods! It was a robin's egg blue as mentioned by mainecelt.
  • colorhappy Apr 26, 2010 @ 11:34 pm | delete
    Amazing tales, Julia and "whatever"! Thanks for taking time to share such awesomely interesting stories. And, Julia, thank you so much for the kind words. Made my day! :-D
  • Julia Purdy Apr 25, 2010 @ 9:30 pm | delete
    Fascinating. I grew up in New England and so many porch ceilings--ours included--were painted blue, usually a pale robin's-egg tone. (Possibly because the same housepainters in town used the same color from house to house. Anyway.) Your explanation of Haint Blue brought to mind an exorcism I attended in a very old hamlet just outside Newburyport, Mass., back in 1982 or so. The house was an unspoiled Federal, occupied by a retired lumber broker and his wife, both elderly. They would hear the doorbell ring (but there was no doorbell), dresser drawers slamming above the second floor (but there was no third floor except an attic), and screams. They called in an authentic modern witch from Salem down the coast, who arrived in her pleated skirt, plaid blazer, and carrying her blackthorn stick. To make a long story short, she determined that a young woman had been incarcerated in the owner's bedroom at some time in the past, having been deemed insane, and the boy in residence delighted in tormenting her by ringing the doorbell, tapping at the windows, etc. The witch advised the owner to take back his space by ordering the spirit away and--by changing the wall-to-wall carpeting to something with a blue hue.
    Reading your account, it makes perfect sense.
    And by the way, I thoroughly enjoyed your articulateness, erudition, and devotion to your profession.
  • whatever Mar 15, 2010 @ 10:31 pm | delete
    in the north eastern PA town of Montrose story has it that the porch ceiling was painted light blue if there was an unmarried female in the house so that from a distance this was evident
  • colorhappy Feb 23, 2010 @ 12:05 am | delete
    It's my pleasure, Mainecelt. My life is consumed by color and sharing my color knowledge is a privilege.

    Thanks for the tip about Amy Greene's book "Bloodroot". I will have to check it out!

    Keep the comments and stories of Haint Blue coming -- it makes my day to find an email from Squidoo in my inbox telling me I have a new comment!

    Light & Love,
    Lori
  • Mainecelt Feb 22, 2010 @ 5:35 pm | delete
    There was an interview on NPR yesterday with Amy Greene, a young author from Appalachia who has written a novel, "Bloodroot", in which "haint blue" is central to the plot. I was directed to this site when I asked about the colour on mudcat.org, a music and folklore forum. Thanks for your efforts and explanations!
  • colorhappy Feb 21, 2010 @ 9:56 pm | delete
    Hi Joseph,

    The mystical and utilitarian beliefs in the color blue are far-reaching. I don't know how blue has been / is used in Celtic traditions, but it is certainly possible.

    When it comes to the power of color, all things are possible and although nothing surprises me any more I find myself pleasantly enlightened all the time.

    Thanks for stopping by to comment and share.

    Regards,
    Lori
  • colorhappy Feb 21, 2010 @ 9:47 pm | delete
    Susan, congrats on your new house in St. Michaels. I think it's awesome you will repaint the same blue on the porch ceiling. Continuing color traditions just enhances the character of a home.

    I love comments and hearing from readers! Thank you for taking the time to write.

    Later,
    Lori
  • Joseph Kloza Feb 21, 2010 @ 8:04 am | delete
    I was told, by an older Polish woman that the window frames in Poland were painted "haint blue" - she just said "blue" -- to keep flies out of the house. As the arerticle points out that insects supposedly would not fly towards the sky therefore... It is interesting that this belief goes as deep as the countryside in Poland. It must be an ancient Celtic belief, as the Celts were once all over Europe....?
  • Susan Jan 10, 2010 @ 10:58 am | delete
    We just purchased a small house in St. Micheals Md and the ceiling to the original front porch was blue and I remember a friend from New Orleans telling me about the origin of why porch ceilings were painted blue. Never realized they had a specific name though. I believe that we will repaint the ceiling again the same color blue. Thanks for the info, it was fascinating.
  • colorhappy Sep 7, 2009 @ 12:49 am | delete
    Denise, I'm so glad you and your husband found the information helpful! That made my day.

    The stories of Haint Blue are fascinating and it's a real treat when you get to see it in person.

    Lori.
  • Denise Dunlap Billings Sep 6, 2009 @ 6:25 pm | delete
    Just returned from Savannah, GA we learned about haint blue while on a bus tour. Our tour guide showed us a home painted haint blue. First thing back home, my husband went to the internet to search and learn more and found your site. Thank you! Great information.
  • AbbasAbedi Jun 7, 2009 @ 3:37 pm | delete
    Always wanted to use water colors.. 5*

    If you get a chance check out my Instant Stress Management lens.
  • colorhappy Jun 4, 2009 @ 1:42 pm | delete
    George, thanks for popping in and sharing your discovery. Very cool. Good luck with your restoration project!
  • colorhappy Jun 4, 2009 @ 1:39 pm | delete
    Anna, glad you found the info helpful!
  • George Jun 4, 2009 @ 1:18 pm | delete
    Yep, was restoring my Houston home to the origonal colors by scraping down to the bottom layer and up pops Haint Blue. So far as mine is concerned, it's exactly La Maison Bleu - Light.
  • Anna/Flowergardengirl May 28, 2009 @ 2:08 pm | delete
    Hi Funcolors,
    I'm linking to you and copying this article. I've had so much interest in the color from an article I wrote on my blog. Thank you for helping us with it.
    Anna
    flowergardengirl.wordpress.com
  • colorhappy May 28, 2009 @ 2:12 am | delete
    How cool is that!? Thanks so much for sharing that information about The Telfair Owens house. Have to admit, the La Maison blues are delicious.
  • MG May 3, 2009 @ 10:33 pm | delete
    The Telfair Owens house in Savannah recently uncovered more haint blue in the carraige house during a recent rennovation. It is a blue more in line with the La Masion. It goes dark almost to an indigo and some appear to be a vivid periwinkle. Fantastic!
  • colorhappy Mar 26, 2009 @ 1:18 pm | delete
    Share your Haint Blue story!

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funcolors

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