The Colour & Paint team are just back from a trip to the home of coastal style and waterside living: Miami. Here is a short video of some of the wonderful art deco hotels on Ocean Drive and the fantastic waterside homes on Miami’s Star Island.

The trip was was truly inspiring for any architecture or interiors enthusiast. So much so that we asked one of our colour experts to put a coastal colour scheme put together based on the Mr & Mrs Smith â At Home Collections:

The main colour is Miami Deco â aclassic pastel inspired by South Beach ’s famously cool architectural district. An alternative accent or lead colour might also be Miami Milk from our Fleur Designer Paint collection, this fresh and light pastel mint shade is one of the hallmarks of the Art Deco colour palette frequently seen in the South Beach historic district.

We are huge fans of blueat colourandpaint.com (we have 40 different hues!).So we are delighted to see that Dulux has nominated “Denim Drift” as their colour of the year. So why blue for 2017?’Blue is the colour of life; it is the clothes we wear, the sky we gaze at and the water that revitalises us,’ say Dulux.’Blue has been, and will continue to be, a constant in every aspect of our lives. From the deepest ink blue, to the palest misty blue, this colour spans every spectrum of life; it is a royal colour, but it is also used for workers’ blue jeans.’

Althoughblue paint is often regarded by conservative decorators as cold and unwelcoming we believe that blues can be stylish and cool. It is the naturaldesire to be near the water’s edge which plays a large part in our affinity for the colour blue and accounts for the perennial popularity of coastal style. So much so that it serves as inspiration for our New England coastal style brand The Nantucket Trading Company.Our equivalent to Denim Drift is Atlantic Shore.

This is the time of year when America’s great and the good decamp from their summer homes in The Hamptons: Long Island (south shore, darling), Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod and of course our favourite â Nantucket island â all seriously cool in a kind of relaxed easy going way. But Hampton’s style isn’t only for the rich and famous, although expect to rub shoulders with a star studded crowd if you rent there in the summer. Back home getting The Hampton’s look is pretty straight forward, it’s all about stripped back simplicity with a coastal twist. Not surprisingly, elements of this east coast style echo Scandanavian design as many of the the original settlers from Sweden and northern Europe brought with them their simple, pared down style.Today the Hamptons is seen as much as a lifestyle as a location. Interestingly Dulux has nominated a very coastal blue as their colour of the year 2017.

The Hamptons and in particular Nantucket have inspired our palettesfrom Mr & Mrs Smith / Coast Collection and The Nantucket Trading Company’s Original Colours of New England collection. The colours schemes are all about shades of white, grey and blue with bold red accents â fresh and light with a homey feel. Throw in some simple linen checks and a few nautical references and you are on your way.

We love blue walls atColourandpaint.comand have been adding to our blue colour story for the last couple of seasons. In fact blues feature in all of our designer paint colour palettes. In order to help our customers to work with colour combinations we have collaborated with interior designer Yasmin Chopin on putting colour palettes together from our full range of colours. See more of Yasmin’s work and design inspiration onInstagram. She says “I call this palette Gym as itis based on a palette I created with a client. They wanted a mini gym included in their home hence the nameâ ¦”

The colours in this palette are:

Royal Academy Silesiaâ This rich blue / grey that echoes the metallic forms of recycled hangers and hooks that artistDavid Mach RAuses in his sculptures

Mr & Mrs Smith Ontarioâ A hint of first light on the Hudson Bay, this gentle blue makes a soothing backdrop for living rooms and bedrooms.

Fleur Sugarâ A feminine and elegant white that refers to the corridors of Versailles, dominated by the refined style of Marie Antoinette.

Nantucket Wilson’s Storeâ Wilson’s Store â a delicate creamy white as characterised in the store interiors at the heart of the Historic District. A classic New England colour.

Royal Academy Mexican Stoneâ A subtle granite-grey, very popular with interior designers and architects. Used on the walls in the RA’s Mexico exhibition in 2013, the colour was taken from a photograph of the pyramid at Chichen Itza.

Royal Academy Piazzettaâ The Piazzetta is the area between the Piazza San Marco and the waterfront in Venice, which once served as a landing spot for officials and dignitaries. The area features tiles in this rich stone-grey.

Royal Academy San Saluteâ A soft stone-grey colour inspired by the famous Venetian landmark, Santa Maria della Salute.

Mr & Mrs Smith Bilbao Silverâ Inspired by the elegant curves of the Guggenheim Museum, this poised subtle grey works well with strong contrasting colours.

Mr & Mrs Smith Medina Wallâ A warm bohemian colour evoking the clay ramparts surrounding central Marrakech, this is a burnished golden orange for bright rooms and confident contrasts.

Mr & Mrs Smith Edinburgh New Townâ This deep luminous grey is like a quiet saunter through Stockbridge streets, past Georgian gems and imposing weathered sandstone.

Mr & Mrs Smith Ontarioâ A hint of first light on the Hudson Bay, this gentle blue makes a soothing backdrop for living rooms and bedrooms.
Fleur Sugarâ A feminine and elegant white that refers to the corridors of Versailles, dominated by the refined style of Marie Antoinette.
Nantucket Wilson’s Storeâ Wilson’s Store â a delicate creamy white as characterised in the store interiors at the heart of the Historic District. A classic New England colour.
Royal Academy Mexican Stoneâ A subtle granite-grey, very popular with interior designers and architects. Used on the walls in the RA’s Mexico exhibition in 2013, the colour was taken from a photograph of the pyramid at Chichen Itza.
Royal Academy Piazzettaâ The Piazzetta is the area between the Piazza San Marco and the waterfront in Venice, which once served as a landing spot for officials and dignitaries. The area features tiles in this rich stone-grey.
Royal Academy San Saluteâ A soft stone-grey colour inspired by the famous Venetian landmark, Santa Maria della Salute.
Mr & Mrs Smith Bilbao Silverâ Inspired by the elegant curves of the Guggenheim Museum, this poised subtle grey works well with strong contrasting colours.
Mr & Mrs Smith Medina Wallâ A warm bohemian colour evoking the clay ramparts surrounding central Marrakech, this is a burnished golden orange for bright rooms and confident contrasts.
Mr & Mrs Smith Edinburgh New Townâ This deep luminous grey is like a quiet saunter through Stockbridge streets, past Georgian gems and imposing weathered sandstone.

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