apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

About three years ago I spent countless hours hunting for that blue, which I think of as Spanish colonial/Mexican blue but it's the same thing, and I finally had something mixed for me. I love the colour. Given how intense the colour is the Ralph Lauren website may not be giving you the right read and it might be worth investing in as small a sample as you can buy from your local paint store... Also, at the time I was looking for it, I speculated that stores in California would be bound to have that colour. I couldn't find it then, but maybe someone from California who visits AT might have a suggestion -- ?

Maryam at My Marrakesh might know where to get it... http://www.moroccanmaryam.typepad.com/

I also spent months looking for that color. Sigh. I wonder if there's some sort of poisonous pigment in it that makes it unsellable in the US?

Isn't that color called Yves Klein Blue?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Klein_Blue

Also -- of course, there is bound to be someone in San Antonio who has also solved this problem. Here's a link to a gallery specializing in Mexican/Tejano folk art -- I'll bet the owner would know where to find the colour.

http://www.sanangelfolkart.com/

Thanks guys. I have emailed Maryam (I love her blog), and hopefully she will have some sort of secret formula. Otherwise, I think I'm going to have to get something mixed.

Deborah, how did that work for you? Did you just go the Home Depot route with a picture or did you go another way? Are you happy with the color?

Thanks again

Ho ho ho, I have the answer. Ralph Lauren has just introduced a Majorelle Blue in a series called Greenhouse. I found it by googling

"Majorelle Blue" paint

I love that color too, makes me think of Santa Fe, though the blues in Santa Fe are just a tiny bit more faded.

Enjoy your paint project!

Joanne

Unfortunately, the Ralph Lauren "majorelle blue" paint is not (at least according to the RL website) actually majorelle blue. It seems as though the RL paint is very light and faded, which is pretty much the opposite of what I'm looking for.

Thanks though.

Take care,
Scout

Well damn! He shouldn't call it majorelle blue then. Maybe you can just have some shipped from Morocco. There's gotta be a way.

Joanne

God that is the most spectacular, unadulterated bluest of blues. And I don't even like blue. Its source MUST be found!

Just to report back, Maryam said that she had a friend that recommended Sydney Harbour/Porter's Paints and that they have a color called "Frieda" that is closeish. She also recommended trying Pantone paints, which looks like might allow me to get a perfect match. I'm a little afraid of them, though, as their paint chips (yes, paint chips) are between $75 and $250. Anyone know anyplace where I can look at the paint chips for free?

I thought the Yves Klein Blue link was really useful.

The house where I used the blue was in the country and I used the paint store in the county seat (they're used to working with city renovators) -- I brought a piece of my Mexican tile and then we worked from there, trying to get it right (they were great by the way -- if anyone is doing any work in Delaware County, go to the paint store on the main street in Delhi). I've matched colours at both Home Depot and Lowe's on other occasions when I needed more paint but never from a photograph. It should work fine, although I don't think you could count on Home Depot being as patient as the people in Delhi were.

The colour looks very good, although the light in the Catskills is different from that in Mexico (duh!) and so there are some subtle differences. I used the colour in two places -- to paint one built-in small cabinet in the kitchen, picking up the blue on the tile (which is around the windows and behind the stove), and in the very small upstairs back bedroom which is now a laundry room -- the cupboards are white but I used more of the tile for the flat surface for folding laundry, did the walls the rich blue, and put in a window seat with a great fabric picking up the blue overlooking the garden in back.

Not sure if anyone is still checking this thread, but I wanted to let you know that through your help (and the help of a poster on Brownstoner) I did finally find the paint. It is Yves Klein Blue and it is available from kt.Color in Switzerland (sold in NY by Aronsons on 17th St). It is ungodly expensive, but you, like me, might decide that it is worth it. It's just so so pretty.

stufankjian, if you're still interested in Pantone chips, they are used by graphic and fine artists, so you may be able to peek at them in a larger fine/graphic arts store, or consult with a designer who has their own set.

has anyone found the exact match for the majorelle blue paint? anyone in morocco willing to ship> i have paypal.