Haint Blue - Southern Porch Tradition

A couple of weeks ago a very dear client texted me “I feel a haint blue ceiling coming on!” I told her my Southern background must be rubbing off on her! Haint Blue porch ceilings are one of my favorite southern traditions.

My grandmother’s porch in Greenville, Alabama is the only true porch in my history. It’s where we sat on hot afternoons, drank iced tea and neighbors would wander by and wave, or stop in to “sit a spell”. When the mosquitos were bad, my Aunt Mat lathered me in Vick’s Vapor Rub. No kidding! No mosquitos dared stop by me…and neither did any of the cute boys out playing in the street!

She explained to me that we paint the ceilings a light blue to keep the bugs away; spiders, wasps, and those creepy crawlies that like to nest in dark places thought the light blue paint was the sky so they moved on. That may or may not be a true fact, but I’m going with it!

Later in my life I learned what the term “haint” really means and its connection to the Gullah Geechee people of the Lowcountry. The area of the South Carolina coast and Sea Islands of Georgia became home to the Gullah Geechee people, slaves and their descendants brought to America from west and central Africa. The Gullah folklore told of ghosts and evil spirits—known as “haints” (and pronounced “haunts”) in the Creole dialect. These haints could not cross water, and because haint blue resembles water, ceilings were painted this color to repel evil spirits and keep their homes safe. This haint blue tradition holds a power and an important history that spans continents and transcends multiple cultures.

This is one of my favorite design elements for the Front Porch as it not only holds tradition but some believe the color blue also makes the days last longer which when you’re sitting on a front porch sipping iced tea is a treasure. I remember how I felt when I painted my kitchen ceiling San Pedro Morning. I felt like the sun was shining on me even on the dreariest of days. In the same manner, you can conjure up a light cool breeze, even in the heat of summer, with a haint blue ceiling.

Let’s Design for Good,

Kim