I thought it to be a simple project. I would paint my front door to give my entrance a lift. It would take one afternoon and add color to my life. I could not have been more wrong. The challenge was in the perfect shade of blue I desired. I literally weaken at the knees when I view the shade of blue painted on the shutters and doors in the South of France. French‐themed websites and Pinterest Boards are adorned with this color.

The Color Speaks to Me

Traditional French blue window shutterBlue Shutters of Provence

I can’t believe a hue can say so much but it does. It woos and seduces. Images of the French countryside having dinner al fresco with friends and lazy afternoons spent reading at a café flood my mind when my eyes rest on the perfect shade of French blue.

Paint Front Door

It was that elusive blue that occupied my days. Finding it online and getting it matched at the paint store were 2 different things. What I needed was a paint chip or a brand color. To my utter dismay no where could I find a swatch attached to the breathtaking photos I collected. I set about to gather some paint chips hoping that my keen eye could match the hue I so desired. I visited paint stores all over my city. I had over a hundred paint chips. I would tape them to my door and mull over the nuances. I emailed bloggers about their postings begging for a paint brand and color to match their perfectly poised photos.

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French Country, Greek Isles, Scottish Highlands

I landed on Sherwin Williams Dynamic Blue SW 6958 Acrylic Latex High Gloss….With all the intensive research that went into this project I can’t say in the end it evokes an image of the South of France. It appears my shade was miscalculated and more reflects the rich blues of the Greek Isles. Alas it is a delightful color, and harkens the ambiance of the Mediterranean which is close enough for me.

But wait, the final chapter in my choice of blue took another interesting twist recently. I learned from my son and daughter‐in‐law who are hiking through Scotland that it appears my choice of blue is quintessential Scottish. The color Blue Woad ‐ which Mel Gibson sports on his face in Braveheart ‐ is seen in the highlands, lowlands and urban centers.

Braveheart vows Bleu hue_crop2

Cross stitched on Irish Linen woven from flax fibre

So be it. I loved the film Braveheart so much that I cross stitched The Marriage Vow, spoken by the actors, on Irish Linen as an Anniversary gift to my husband‐‐‐‐”I will love you my whole life, you and no other‐ And I you, you and no other forever”. William Wallace chose Murron MacClannough. Yes marriage is a choice‐ you choose to love one and only one for a lifetime. I think I like the new backstory of my choice of blue.