Periwinkle Color – All Shades, Color Meaning and Guide

What Color Is Periwinkle?

You can view the periwinkle color as both blue as well as purple. However, many might refer to the color as periwinkle blue or lavender-blue, as colors can be seen differently by each person. If you want to get technical, it is considered more lavender purple and less of an indigo color. You can say periwinkle falls in the violet and is named after the flower of the same name, or it is also known as myrtle herb or Vinca minor.

There are also various shades of this color from a pale or pastel purple to a dark periwinkle. When it comes to periwinkle vs. lavender, the main difference is that lavender is less blue and more of a pale purple, while periwinkle is purple with more blue.

Meaning of Periwinkle

Periwinkle has had different meanings and symbolism over the years, depending on culture and religion. Today, the periwinkle color is a representation of calmness, peace, relaxation, comfort, love, and honesty. The color has a strong link to friendship and is seen as a childish hue that embodies innocence.

The color does represent a more feminine outlook and will add a certain elegance to any environment. The color is also tenacious and innovative as well as optimistic and lighthearted, yet with a focus on things that matter. Periwinkle remains pure and loyal to convictions and beliefs.

Periwinkle can have a fresh or clean feeling, similar to green and blue, which is why combining it with a warmer color can help prevent a sterile look and feel to an environment. The color can also help with things like concentration and improve creativity and has a soothing effect on the mind. The more muted or lighter colors have more of this kind of effect. Any positive experiences related to the color should elicit feelings of safety as well as being a comforting color. 

The periwinkle color can also be associated with cold feelings, which is why it is often used in paintings of ice and winter.

Shades of Periwinkle

As with all colors, there are many variations of shades available. You can go from vibrant and energetic to subtle and neutral color effects. The periwinkle color sits between blue and purple on the color wheel and the periwinkle hex code is #cccff or some view #8e82fe as a more accurate representation.

Periwinkle Color Combinations

Periwinkle is not a color option that naturally springs to mind like many others, but it does provide a gentler color when compared to vibrant purples and blues. Periwinkle can be a color that forms the base for other more brilliant colors like orange.

The color can also work well with other colors from the same family, namely your blues. However, periwinkle can also work well with neutrals, and it can be used as a neutral itself.

Complementary Colors

Green and Periwinkle

Periwinkle and Shades of Orange

Analogous Colors

Pink and Periwinkle

Periwinkle in Fashion

Using Periwinkle in Interior Design

A Brief History

The periwinkle color name was first mentioned in the early 20^th century. However, the color has been used for many years before by various artists. The word itself comes from Old English, from the word perwince and Latin, pervinca. You also have a Russian name for the flower called pervinka. Periwinkle has always been a plant first, whose flowers inspired the color.

The flowers themselves came originally from areas of Europe and the British Isles. The plant itself is poisonous and due to its uses in the past, it is also known as the “flower of death”.

In Europe, the flowers or parts of the plant were woven into head garlands of those who were sentenced to death and heading for the gallows.

In the USA, it was planted in cemeteries and in Italy, with wreaths of the plant on the graves of children that had died. In religion, particularly Catholicism, the periwinkle was a symbol of the Virgin Mary and represents love and purity.

Many churches sometimes attach the flower to statues of the Virgin Mary and many stained glass displays and paintings also showcase the flower and color. In Europe, the flowers have been used in head adornments and bouquets for weddings, symbolizing faithfulness. 

Portrait of Madame Monet (1874) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir; Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Periwinkle is known by many other names including fairy’s paintbrush and sorcerer’s violet. Not only is it a plant, but there is also a snail known as the common periwinkle. Since the periwinkle color has been used in art for many years, many famous paintings may include this color.

• Portrait of Madame Monet (1874) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
• Old Oaks In Surrey (1890) by Jan Toorop
• Young Girl Braiding Her Hair (1894) by Edgar Degas
• Water Lilies (1919) by Claude Monet

More recently in 2022, Pantone named their color for the year “Very Peri”. The color is a shade that brings in a livelier periwinkle blue that has undertones of violet red.

I used to overlook periwinkle, but learning about its subtle beauty has totally changed my perspective. It’s earned a spot in my heart and on my palette, so I’ll be reaching for it the next time I’m painting or decorating. It’s amazing how a color can grow on you!

Take a look at our periwinkle blue color webstory here!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Periwinkle Blue or Purple?

What Colors Go With Periwinkle?

What Does the Periwinkle Color Symbolize?

Charlene Lewis( Content Creator and Creativity Writer )

In 2005, Charlene completed her Wellness Diplomas in Therapeutic Aromatherapy and Reflexology from the International School of Reflexology and Meridian Therapy. She worked for a company offering corporate wellness programs for a couple of years, before opening up her own therapy practice. It was in 2015 that a friend, who was a digital marketer, asked her to join her company as a content creator, and this is where she found her excitement for writing.

Since joining the content writing world, she has gained a lot of experience over the years writing on a diverse selection of topics, from beauty, health, wellness, travel, and more. Due to various circumstances, she had to close her therapy practice and is now a full-time freelance writer. Being a creative person, she could not pass up the opportunity to contribute to the Art in Context team, where is was in her element, writing about a variety of art and craft topics. Contributing articles for over three years now, her knowledge in this area has grown, and she has gotten to explore her creativity and improve her research and writing skills.

Charlene Lewis has been working for artincontext.org since the relaunch in 2020. She is an experienced writer and mainly focuses on the topics of color theory, painting and drawing.

Learn more about Charlene Lewis and the Art in Context Team.