What color are porch ceilings in the South?

Porch ceilings in the American South (and parts of the Northeast) are almost always painted blue — whether the rest of the home's exterior is white, yellow, pink or any other color of the rainbow.

What color blue Do Southerners paint their porch ceilings?

The shade of blue used on many southern ceilings is often called “haint blue”. This light blue-green color is especially popular in southern coastal cities like Charleston, SC or Savannah, GA because of the historically haunted nature of these cities.

Why are porch ceilings blue in the South?

Gullah folklore explains that ghosts, also referred to as “haints,” were not able to cross water. In order to repel evil spirits from plantations, porch ceilings were painted a soft blue. The color was meant to mimic water in an effort to keep any haints or spirits at bay.

What color should the ceiling of the porch be?

Historically, light blue is the go-to porch ceiling color—and for good reason. It mimics the natural sky and makes a covered porch feel open and inviting.

Why are Southern porches painted blue?

According to the Gullah/Geechee, a blue porch ceiling brought good luck to the home and helped to ward away evil spirits as these lost souls are unable to cross water. A haint blue porch ceiling resembles water and prevents haints from harming the people in the house.

The Story of Haint Blue | What About This?

What color is haint blue paint?

Haint blue is a collection of pale shades of blue-green that are traditionally used to paint porch ceilings in the southern United States.

Does a blue ceilings keep bugs away?

Lore claims the insects and birds see the blue as the sky and don't come beneath it. According to a history of blue paint on Sherwin-Williams.com, today's blue paint is probably not a true deterrent for insects and birds but it once was – back when blue paint was made with lye.

What Sherwin Williams color is haint blue?

Sherwin-Williams Waterscape (SW 6470) is a dynamic, perfectly soft-but-bright blue infused with hints of green. Haint blue in general can be tricky because it will depend on several factors, like the natural light on your porch, the other colors present, and the amount of greenery surrounding your house.

Why are porch ceilings blue in New Orleans?

The tradition is rooted in Gullah culture.

Gullah folklore held that ghosts—known as “haints” (and pronounced “haunts”) in the Creole dialect—could not cross water, and because blue resembles water, ceilings were painted this color to repel evil spirits.

What should I put on my porch ceiling?

Does blue paint deter spiders?

The color that spiders tend to hate is light blue. People don't just paint their porches light blue for the aesthetic. Painting your porch ceiling in this shade is a pretty effective way of keeping spiders away. The color is also known to repel wasps.

What is the meaning of blue porch lights?

If you notice a blue light bulb lighting up someone's porch, this is the meaning: The blue lights convey a message of respect and solidarity for all officers and their families.

What color keeps evil spirits away?

Since the ancient times, red color is believed to be a lucky color to ward off evil spirits.

Does painting porch ceiling blue keep birds away?

Summer days seem to last longer when afternoons are spent on the porch, and a pale blue ceiling overhead helps extend the daylight into dusk. Blue ceilings are also said to deter birds from nesting there and insects from buzzing around. But don't toss your bug spray just yet.

What color is sea salt Sherwin Williams?

Sea Salt is one of Sherwin Williams most popular paint colors, a delicate green gray blue color that is a chameleon paint color that changes dramatically in different lighting conditions.

Will painting a porch ceiling blue?

Across the South, the tradition of painting ceilings blue is passed down from generation to generation. There are many stories and legends as to why, and it's not just about keeping bugs at bay. In the Deep South, a darker blue sometimes called “haint blue” is believed by some to keep away evil spirits.

What color do they paint porch ceilings in New Orleans?

As with many homes throughout the southern USA, in New Orleans it's customary to paint the porch ceilings a light blue~green shade called “Haint Blue”. The shade of blue can vary from porch to porch. There are a few different theories behind this tradition.

What color is Palladian blue?

Palladian Blue is a serene blue-green paint that offers soft, relaxing tones. Its light and airy coastal hue makes it a perfect choice for adding a touch of spa-like color to almost any room, from bathroom to bedroom, and even the laundry room!

Why is haint blue?

The folklore piece refers to the concept of "haint," a Southern variation on the word "haunt" that refers to a ghost or spirit. "Blue represented water, and apparently spirits can't traverse water," said O'Neill. "People would paint the ceilings, the window trim and sometimes the doors (to keep spirits away)."

What color is haint?

Haint is an alternative spelling of haunt, historically used to refer to spirits, ghosts or witch-like creatures. One theory is that the haint blue color represents water that spirits cannot pass over. Another is that it mimics the sky, tricking the ghosts into passing through.

What color is Waterscape?

Waterscape is a soft, shaded, sea glass green with a crystal undertone. It is a perfect paint color for a bedroom or spa-like bathroom. Pair it with white trim and soft golden accents.

What colors do insects hate?

Bugs are naturally attracted to bright colors like white, yellow or orange. Colors like green and blue won't register as vividly when seen in the UV spectrum, deterring bugs away from these colored objects.

Why do they paint porch ceilings blue in Savannah?

Once upon a time in the deep South, many people painted their porch ceilings a specific shade of Haint Blue, a soft blue-green, to ward off evil spirits called “haints.” It's especially common in the historic homes around Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.

What is the story of haint blue?

This “haint blue,” first derived from the dye produced on Lowcountry indigo plantations, was originally used by enslaved Africans, and later by the Gullah Geechee, to combat “haints” and “boo hags”—evil spirits who escaped their human forms at night to paralyze, injure, ride (the way a person might ride a horse), or ...