A blissful blue, cerulean conjures up images of endless summers and deep Mediterranean seas. In fact, the Latin origin of this exotic-sounding word translates to mean dark blue or blue green, and that’s exactly where cerulean sits on the colour chart – halfway between bold, aquatic blue and shimmering sea green. No wonder then, that when cerulean pigment was created in the early 19th century, the Impressionist painters flocked to fill their canvases with this glorious hue. (In fact, third on the list of Picasso’s last paint order was ‘blue, cerulean’.)

Brilliantly bold yet also calm and collected, cerulean is a great accent hue for colour schemes in any room where you want to project a feeling of bliss and contentment. Pair it with colour palettes of greens and yellows for a lush, tropical feel, or combine with pale neutrals, like eau de nil and duck egg blue, to create a relaxed look that will make you feel as though it’s summer all year round.