Haint Blue Porches: Why you Should Consider Them for Your Home.
I am so sorry for my lateness in posting today! Usually I try to have everything scheduled the night before, but last night I had to deal with the death of one of my feral cats which I have been working to socialize for the last few months, and today I had a long drive & busy afternoon!
Why should you consider painting your porch ceiling Haint Blue?
I first mentioned “Haint Blue” a few months ago as part of a Monday Musing (see that post here!) and its still one of my all time favorite traditions – plus, its both a pretty and a practical thing to do!
I’d always thought that the use of haint blue porch ceilings was a “Southern thing,” but after some research, I learned that it can actually be found in many places along the East Coast!
When I think of “haint blue” I picture a soft, almost sea-foam color. My favorite example is this pretty shade is from Benjamin Moore and is called “Constellation.” Adding this soft, light shade of blue-green to your home not only aligns your home in historical tradition, but it’s a practical practice too!
Check out this beautiful haint blue porch ceiling from Country Living
Photo: Pinterest via Country Living: Annie Schlecter, Prop Styling by Becki Griffin
Haint Blue Porch Ceilings are said to keep wasps and other bugs from nesting in the corners of your porch!
Side note: this may have originated because old paints had lye in them, so that may have been what deterred the bugs away, but many people now-a-days still say that the blue paint works to keep away the pests! :-)
A lot of people argue that painting your porch ceiling a light blue will keep stinging bugs from making their nests in the corners of the ceiling-- which can be a big problem in the summer months! Proponents of this theory argue that it may be due to bugs confusing the color of the paint with the color of the sky.
The practice of coloring of porch ceilings with shades of blue was thought to provide protection from haints
In the South (especially in South Carolina!) Haint blue ceilings were believed to protect the homeowners from "haints" or evil spirits. The blue sky was meant to appear like water, which evil spirits were unable to cross.
Broad Street in Charleston, SC. One of my favorite places!
Aesthetic Reasons:
A third reason to paint your porch ceiling a haint shade of blue it purely for aesthetics! The cool, light shade, will keep your space cooler than a dark ceiling would, but it also has an effect of "extending" daylight, or brightening up the porch area on overcast days!
As for me, I'm definitely considering adding "paint porch ceiling" to my summer to-do list! Although, my house is already blue, so its have to be a shade that "goes" with the bricks.