If you have spent any time in the South, specifically the low country, you have most likely seen a porch ceiling painted a lovely light blue hue. There are many eye catching pastels and beautiful paint colors in the south but this tradition has more history to it than you might think. In the early 1800s the Gullah Geechee, enslaved West and Central Africans, were brought to the coast and sea islands of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida and began painting porch ceilings blue as a way to repel “haints” (and pronounced “haunts”), or ghosts to keep evil spirits from plantations. Since haints could not cross water, blue was a natural choice to keep the unwanted spirits at bay. Paint was often applied to windows, doors and shutters as a well but the tradition seems to live on through the porch ceilings.
While a quick google search on the history of blue ceilings predominantly links the tradition to the Gullah Geechee people, there are some other theories floating around also. Many believe the use of blue paint on a porch ceilings helps to deter wasps and spiders. It is also suspected people were using milk paints containing lye. What is lye? Lye is a strong alkaline product often found in soaps and is known to deter mosquitoes. Some also believe that blue paint tricks insects into thinking the ceiling is the sky leading the unwanted insects to create their nests in other places. However, there is no proof that this actually works but the pale blue’s ability to reflect light might help create an illusion of longer days. The lighter the blue, the greater the effect. Finally, soft blues help create a calm and relaxing environment and we all know a porch is a wonderful place to relax at the end of the day.
Whatever benefits you believe a blue porch ceiling to have, it is sure to strike up a conversation. As we all know, picking paint colors is not always as simple or as fun as it might seem. If you want to join in on the age old tradition, we can offer a few suggestions. We love this cool blue gray from Sherwin Williams called Krypton (SW6427) (shown below). Other classic choices from Sherwin Williams are Atmospheric (SW6505), a brighter and more traditional sky blue, or Waterscape (SW6470), with a hint of green resembling the ocean as its name suggests.
No matter what you choose for your porch ceiling, a porch should always have welcoming qualities. If the blue ceilings do not fit your style you can always elevate your space with an interesting front door. What do you look for in a porch? For me, if it’s big enough, I’ll be perfectly content with a rocking chair and a good book.
