Color Inspiration: YInMn Blue

As you may have heard in the news, scientists have found a new color. The scientists discovered the incredible, vivid blue by accident, while looking for new compounds for applications in electronics. Now, you might think, "Well, yes I've seen this color before," and that's partly. You've seen cobalt and electric blue, and you've probably seen it or something close in mixed paints and such, but this is a natural color. That means that no synthetic materials, like those used in paints, were used to create it. They mixed the elements Yttrium, Indium, and Manganese and out came YInMn Blue (as they've decided to name it). You can read more about how the color came out from these three elements here.

Source: Oregon State University

What's interesting is that they made this discovery in 2009, but it's only now reaching the news because the color's discoverers have reached a licensing agreement with The Shepherd Color Company to create a paint color. One thing of interest about this color is that since it absorbs all of the red and green wavelengths of light, giving it that brilliant pure blue, it has amazing energy efficiency. It's also incredibly durable, so look our for blue roofs in your neighborhood. You can even use this brilliant color in a number of different ways in your own home. If you haven't seen our previous blog posts about adding color to your home and taking design leaps, please check those out.

Source: Anthropologie

You may not know this, but I love the color blue, and this blue is just so perfect; even better than cobalt and electric blues. And my favorite place to add blue is in the bedroom. This gorgeous bedding from Anthropologie is just stunning and makes you just want to snuggle up under the covers with a good book.

Source: Fiona Lynch Designs

I've always been a fan of painting furniture. Maybe it's because until recently I've never really lived in a place in which I was allowed to paint the walls. So to fulfill my desire for color, I wanted to paint the furniture, which, again, I wasn't allowed to do, because what sane mother gives her kid a paintbrush and a piece of expensive furniture? Not mine, that's for sure. Anyway, even if you, like my mother, don't want bright colors all over your furniture, you can still add a pop of color by painting the insides. It gives you that wow factor without compromising the cohesion of your interior design.

Source: Apartment Therapy

Want a way to put color on the walls without painting? How about taking the art prints or photographs you already own and having them rematted in a bright blue? Just be mindful of which pieces you decide to do this with; it will not look good with every print or photo.

As always, thank you for reading! Let us know what you think on our Instagram or Facebook page, and let us know if there are any design questions you want us to answer either on the blog or on our Your Home segment. Be sure to follow us on all of our social media platforms!