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Color Guide: How to Work With Turquoise
The cheeriest blue in the spectrum, turquoise stands strong on its own and plays well with others
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel and design. I just completed my first remodel, turning my crumbling 1941 kitchen into a beauty of grays, whites and natural wood. If I could, I'd sleep on the countertop. That's how much I love it.
You can also read my parenting blog on Baby Center http://blogs.babycenter.com/author/sschoech/
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel... More »
The color turquoise, named for the gemstone, evokes Caribbean water and Tiffany boxes. It's considered soothing and is used in some mental health facilities to create a calm atmosphere.
Many colors that are not turquoise are often called turquoise. Turquoise is not light blue, it is not teal (although it is a close cousin) and it is not aqua — it's a mixture of light blue and green. Many vibrant, warm turquoises contain yellow tints as well. The color can range from warm to cool and from vibrant to very, very pale.
Turquoise is a friend to many. It looks great with citrus tones, especially lime. It works with many different blues, including navy, and it is positively lovely with red. It appears often in tropical design from the Caribbean to Mexico, and also in Native American arts and motifs. Its cooler form is all over midcentury modern design as well.
Pair turquoise with a bright or warm white and you get instant beach. Pair it with an umber or mustard, and you evoke old Mexico. Put it with gold for immediate glamour.
For being such a vibrant, standout color, turquoise is amazingly versatile and comes in a nearly infinite range of tones and hues. No matter which version you choose, turquoise is cheerful. It is the ultimate pick-me-up color.
Many colors that are not turquoise are often called turquoise. Turquoise is not light blue, it is not teal (although it is a close cousin) and it is not aqua — it's a mixture of light blue and green. Many vibrant, warm turquoises contain yellow tints as well. The color can range from warm to cool and from vibrant to very, very pale.
Turquoise is a friend to many. It looks great with citrus tones, especially lime. It works with many different blues, including navy, and it is positively lovely with red. It appears often in tropical design from the Caribbean to Mexico, and also in Native American arts and motifs. Its cooler form is all over midcentury modern design as well.
Pair turquoise with a bright or warm white and you get instant beach. Pair it with an umber or mustard, and you evoke old Mexico. Put it with gold for immediate glamour.
For being such a vibrant, standout color, turquoise is amazingly versatile and comes in a nearly infinite range of tones and hues. No matter which version you choose, turquoise is cheerful. It is the ultimate pick-me-up color.
| Turquoise on the Wall Like many vibrant colors, turquoise is most often used on an accent wall. It adds so much energy and light to this neutral kitchen and dining room. |
| This turquoise accent wall with natural wood and warm whites just radiates happiness. |
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Turquoise doesn't have to be paired with neutrals. It adds pop and dimension next to these dark coral walls as well.
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by Judith Balis
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| A bluer, paler turquoise works in a full room and makes a colorful backdrop for black and white. And doesn't it look great with that hot pink, too? |
| Turquoise in its warm, light version is completely calming for sweet dreams. |
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| Paler still. This is just the barest tint, but it adds a soft glow to this tiny eating area. |
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Turquoise gets along with its blue and green brothers. This hallway really brings the family together.
| Turquoise in the Bathroom This is about as enthusiastic a use of turquoise as I've ever seen. It's somehow enlivening and calming all at once, like taking a cold plunge after a sauna. |
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This vanity reminds me of a little Tiffany box and adds interest and elegance to a small white bathroom.
by w.b. builders
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Turquoise and gold are wonderful together (think jewelry). This wallpaper is so glamorous in this tiny space.
Decorating with Turquoise
Turquoise and white come together in this room to create high-glamour beach style. Very Miami.
Turquoise and white come together in this room to create high-glamour beach style. Very Miami.
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I love the way turquoise pops in this very traditional setting. If the desk were natural wood, this might look like a nondescript hotel room. But with the touch of turquoise, it looks like a fun, elegant and personal space.
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Turquoise is a perfect gender-neutral color for the nursery. And it's so happy.
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| Classic midcentury modern design shines in turquoise. |
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| Turquoise cabinets add a modern dollop of color to this neutral kitchen. The unpainted wood brings out the warmth in this shade. |
| Turquoise Outside A turquoise door looks so beautiful in a tropical setting, but it can work beautifully in Chicago as well. |
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by Lendry Homes
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| When you see a house this color, you just know you are in the tropics. |
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| Having turquoise accents around the pool just adds to the Caribbean feel. It's like an insta-vacation. |
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| It is common to paint the porch ceiling blue to keep insects at bay, but this vibrant shade of turquoise takes it to a whole other level. I have no idea how it affects the bugs. |
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These patio chairs make me think of sipping a Tom Collins in Palm Springs, circa 1930. Not that I was there.
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by Benjamin Moore
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| Any darker and this very green shade might be teal. But it is turquoise, through and through. |
by Benjamin Moore
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A slightly grayer version.
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Warm and vibrant with lots of yellow tones.
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by Benjamin Moore
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| A bluer version, verging on aqua. |
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by Benjamin Moore
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| Bluer still, but still very warm. |
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| A soft, pale turquoise. Can't you just feel the sea breeze? |
by Benjamin Moore
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A dark blue version. It's close, but I think it still qualifies as turquoise.
Plum and turquoise! My new favorite combination.
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Gold and turquoise. This is classic Hollywood glamour.
by Design Public
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A modern take on Navajo design. It almost looks like art deco.
Ideabook updated on Aug. 22, 2012.
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Love turquoise, another one of those colors that looks good with everything. Thanks for sharing. Charmean
I'm still drawn to those colors where ever I see them. I'm currently working on a home improvement project that includes a retaining wall in sandy gray sump block, a patio at the front door rather than the back door with cement pavers and a delicate wrought iron black lacy looking fence used as a patio railing along the top of the retaining wall. I’m looking for just the right paint to paint the cement pavers a medium shade of turquoise. I may also paint the new wall a more tan adobe shade when it is completed. I have 5 dark brown antique handmade church pews to put on the patio. I'm planning to make throw pillows in gold and magenta. My table and chairs are also dark wood. The turquoise floor will hold the mix of bland and dark colors together and give it some real punch. Pots of flowers in reds, orange, yellow, and lavender will make it lively. A planting of Russian Sage in front of the wall will soften the sharp lines of the block work and add soft sage green and delicate purple spikes of flowers.
It is the turquoise that will save the project from being ho hum beige and browns. The front door patio is inspired by the fact the we need a low retaining wall and steps as part of the entrance walkway to the front door. The view from the front door overlooks a rural valley and nearly 100 miles to the mountains north of us. It is sheltered by the house from the prevailing winds and hot afternoon sun. That makes it a perfect place to enjoy a cookout or a gathering of friends around the fire pit.
Now, to find a good paint for the cement pavers and sump block and finish the job of laying block, fill dirt, sand, laying pavers et. so we can enjoy a perfect spot to enjoy the million dollar view.
I've edited our bedroom furniture to mostly black, with white bedlinens and lampshades and some white walls (like the window seat, and the stairway up to the ensuite), and then I add a red cushion on the window seat for a little extra pop.