Top tips for using cobalt blue in your home: opt for an electric sea of colour with striking paint and bold furniture

How to introduce an electrifying vision of colour into your home with this season's boldest new shade... 
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Jessica Doyle7 April 2017

Add a shot of cobalt blue to your home decor this spring and enjoy a cocktail of electrifying colour — it’s a key shade for the season.

Yves Klein, who in 1960 developed International Klein Blue is one of five artists synonymous with the striking shade that inspired Screenshot, a new project from fabric house Dedar.

By designer Martino Gamper and artist Brigitte Niedermair, it comprises large fabric wall panels printed with blocks of colour that reproduce what you see while waiting for images to load after typing each artist’s name into a search engine.

Cool shades: create your own sea of blue with a variety of fabrics from Designer Guild, starting at £59 a metre

Habitat’s new SS17 collection of bold blue furniture, textiles and tableware also takes inspiration from Klein, from the work of Matisse and from Yves Saint Laurent’s vibrant villa/museum, the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh, where you can buy chalky cobalt paint in the shop.

Cobalt’s jewel-like quality makes it a patriotic choice for 2017, the Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee year, but this is also the centenary of Finland’s independence, and Finnish favourites Iittala and Marimekko —both available in London through Skandium — are marking the occasion with new collections in luminous cobalt, the former in glass tableware and accessories, the latter in its trademark splashy textiles.

How to use it

Cobalt pairs well with several other on-trend colours,including blush pink, mustard and terracotta, and materials such as copper and light wood.

Wallpapers from Christopher Farr, Rockett St George and Arthouse make a striking backdrop, or go all out with walls in FTT-018 Cobalt Blue paint from the new Film, Television and Theatre collection by Mylands.

Designers Guild has a wealth of cobalt-hued patterns to mix and match, while statement furniture includes sofas from Sofa.com and Content by Terence Conran, chairs from Skandium and a surrealist-inspired side table from Monologue in Shoreditch.

Expert tips

Start an impact collection of cobalt ceramics, art and objects, says Ed Godrich, creative director of Godrich Interiors.

With jewel tones deeply infiltrating interiors, cobalt is perfect for adding a luxurious feel, especially with metallics, says Louise Wicksteed, creative director at 1508 London.

“I often pair cobalt with shades of green because they are the colours of land and sky, the most natural combination,” says interior designer Natalia Miyar.

Cobalt is a versatile choice for big items such as sofas, says Vanessa Hurley-Perera of sofa.com. “Layer accessories in complementary pastel shades for a softer look.”

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