Friday, May 04, 2007

Designed by Dorothy Draper & Co., the indoor swimming pool and spa area at the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., is a setting that takes its color cues from the pool water's neutral blue. The color is mixed with all kinds of 'happy' flower tones in the Caribbean-style fabric used for the upholstery on the rattan chairs and for the window treatments.     Swimming-pool blue functions as a neutral hue that complements a wide variety of other colors. Here, the ceiling of this Egyptian-inspired pool room is painted a pale blue that echoes the color of the water below. Photo courtesy Association of Pool & Spa Professionals

And the winner is? The newest "neutral" color of all, believe it or not, is swimming-pool blue.

Isn't it amazing that a pool with a white bottom and white sides – and maybe with a rim of blue-and-white Spanish tiles – when filled with clear water refracts the light to make a new color called swimming-pool blue? And isn't it the most enchanting color in the world?

The effect is charming, whether the water is reflecting the sky during the day or is lighted at night, with the pool deck surrounded by palm trees and the air filled with the scent of nighttime tropical fragrance sometimes called Dama de Noche.

To Hollywood and Esther Williams: Thank you for bringing design glamour and color to the world of swimming-pool land. From Hollywood in the very beginning to America's heartland, swimming-pool life is here, there and everywhere.

I, for one, have always been fascinated by the shapes of swimming pools – squares, rectangles, figure eights, free forms. Designers and architects can really get creative when planning swimming pools, waterfalls, terraces and cabanas. And as you know, there are pools in the ground, off the ground and even underground, and there are pools in greenhouses, under canopies and anywhere inside the home. I once planned a home that had a swimming pool running through the family room, living room and bedroom! The pool, of course, was in the tropics, where the intense heat prompted folk to take a dip anytime the spirit moved.

I want everyone to know that I feel that swimming-pool blue is the most neutral of all the colors. I like to soften the blue just a tad when painting interior walls and ceilings, as I like to reserve the brightest of the blues for the outdoors with palm trees and bougainvillea as the background.

What about bringing swimming-pool blue into your living room, maybe as the color of a carpet, rug, wall or ceiling? Or think of it as an upholstery color on a big comfortable sofa or on a pair of French bergères. Mix swimming-pool blue with all the colors of the hibiscus, and a "star" room will be the result. Or mix this blue with just one rich hibiscus hue – think apricot, yellow, pale pink or magenta. You might also consider using it next to azalea pink, white or rich purple.

Now do you agree, or do you not, that swimming-pool blue is the friendliest neutral color in the world – and far more happily neutral than sand beige or troubled-sky gray?

I always say: Think happy colors for a happy home, and you'll achieve a look that will put smiles on faces – and believe me, the world needs more smiles everywhere we go.

So here's to smiles for a happy home and a happy life with plenty of swimming-pool blue, a color worthy of far more than a single dip!

Interior designer, author and columnist Carleton Varney is the president and owner of Dorothy Draper & Co. in New York City, the oldest established interior design firm in the United States. Varney's worldwide roster of clients includes many in Palm Beach. He welcomes comments and suggestions from readers. Send your decorating questions to Carleton Varney, c/o Darrell Hofheinz, Palm Beach Daily News, 265 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach 33480.