Colour // Eau de Nil

EAU DE NIL

I’m not sure why it’s taken me quite so long to feature this colour; it is one of my personal favourites (you might recongnise it on this website!) and a wonderfully versatile shade. Eau de Nil (the watery blue-green of the Nile) is inherently restful and calming, evocative of the seaside, pristine springtime flowers, and fresh morning dew. It works with so many varying interior styles precisely because of this broad reference base. And despite its beautiful watery blue-green lustre, it really is almost a neutral, and so can sit comfortably as a backdrop to many interior settings. Furthermore, Eau de Nil is ractually more of a colour palette than an individual hue – ranging from fresh greens to watery blues – and can therefore be applied in any one of its incarnations as suited to your space.

Context sets this colour to work, and in this way, it’s a more flexible shade than most. Depending on the look you are going for it is easy to sway this shade towards neutrality or vibrancy, to have it veer into pared-back sophistication or welcoming warmth. As ever, it’s simple a matter of selecting the right tone and saturation of Eau de Nil in order to ensure that it works perfectly with your space.

French Elegance; Wallpaper by Barneby Gates // This wallpaper leans toward Le Corbusier’s Ceruleen Pale at the greener end of the spectrum. Try Resene Sea Mist – a beautiful, pale oceanic tone. For an even richer green, go with Resene Half Washed Green, from the Karen Walker Paints range.

English Country; Interior by Maison Inc, Chiang Mai Dragon Aquamarine Wallpaper by Schumacher // This wallpaper ties in beautifully with the painted wood panelling in a welcoming blue-green hue. For a similar look, try Resene Robin Egg Blue from the Karen Walker Paints range.

Classic Hamptons from Martha Stewart Living // Eau de Nil in this interior is beginning to take on a stronger blue influence, this time with hints of grey. Try Resene Conch of Half Conch; a light grey blue with a warm influence.

Scandinavian Sophistication; Interior Design by Heidi Lerkenfeldt // For a hue that leans right towards the blue grey end of the spectrum try Resene Periglacial Blue.

Le Corbusier’s Shades

As I’ve discussed in other posts, Le Corbusier designed a beautiful range of paints which include several versions of Eau de Nil; these being his Ceruléen hues – Pale, Clair & Moyen . All of these are a wonderful starting point as tried and tested interior colours, and I have matched them (via the colours’ hexidecimal codes) with shades available by Resene, some of which have been included above. The Ceruléen shades move from Greens, to greeny blues, and finally to a more intense and youthful blue. Below is a shortcut list of these shades for those of you looking for a perfect match.