The Special Beauty of Blue and White

 I adore blue and white in decorating schemes.  It's fresh, classic, and usually very easy for the non-decorator to pull off!  Blue and white is especially soothing for bedrooms, and probably one of the most classic uses of blue and white is with toile.  The bedroom above is a wonderful oasis of calm in a busy world.
I am a die-hard fan of peach and coral.  Blue and a creamy white with peach or coral is beautiful!  And if you are using blue and white porcelain, it really pops against a peach or coral background.

Another great thing about decorating with blue and white is that apartment dwellers who cannot change the color of those white or cream walls can still have what looks like a planned and cohesive design. All you have to do is paint some furniture a dark grey-blue or white (or mix both!) and buy ready-made curtains and bedspreads.  For the living room, solid white or blue slipcovers will work although printed blue and white ones look really special.
All shades and tones of blue look good with white, cream, off-white or ivory.  Look how crisp the room below is!

I love the curtain treatment below with the inner lining blue and pretty white fringe trim.

Below is another example of what could be done if you are living in an apartment and cannot paint the cream walls.  Use blue and white material to cover chairs, sofa, and window, and no one will know that you didn't plan to have cream walls all along!

I adore blue and white porcelain grouped together. Even the lamps are blue and white.  And blue and white porcelain works so seamlessly with your decor that you can still add a gallery wall.

What a peaceful sitting room!

Decorating with blue and white can be cost effective, too.  Blue and white porcelain jars and plates can be found in Chinatown and sometimes even at dollar stores. Simple muslin curtains in a creamy white or blue can be found for a few dollars a yard.

Above, blue and white porcelain looks wonderful against almost any color.  Here it's lovely against a warm grey.

Blue and white is marvelous for a kitchen!

Above, yellow is amazing as a background for blue and white. Below, note that there is no solid blue in the room; even the curtains are striped. but the overall effect sends a blue message.

Loving Mario!

If I could have one person come to look at my townhouse and make suggestions decorating it, it would have to be Mario Buatta!  And these pictures are why.
Mario loves color; you won't find all beige and white here! Not only is he not afraid to use color, he's not afraid to mix colors either. Of course, I'm a huge fan of peach and I love the peach details on the bed and curtains above.  I love, love that scalloped dust ruffle!
Light and pale colors reign supreme in the pictures below.

Crystal chandeliers and sconces are an important source of light and sparkle in Mario Buatta's rooms.  And he is a true lover of mirrors, using them in all shapes and sizes, and will cover walls with them.

Above, I love the mirrors on either side of the bed.

Peach walls are my favorites.  I believe these are in Blair House.  The mirrored sconce between the twin beds is beautiful.  

Above, Mario Buatta believes in lush, sumptuous looking beds.  I love the bed crown in the room above. Details like the fringe trim on the hangings make a difference in the luxuriousness of the rooms. Look at that wonderful mirrored screen to the left of the bed.
Below, another wonderful canaopied bed. The checked curtains look great with the print on the bed. Silk covers the bedside table.

More canopied beds. Above, a funkier look with the unusual bed. The wood floors are painted.
Below, a bedroom looks like an English garden - or like a room in an English country house. 

I love the elements in the room above, including the curtain treatment.  I had almost the same curtains for years in my family room in our Arkansas house.
Below, tell me you wouldn't fall in love with this wonderful blue and white room.  That mirrored screen to the left of the bed is to die for! And I love the bit of whimsy on the end of the bed loveseat: a row of cat pillows! Buatta's bedside table are always practical; real life people can get what is needed on there: books, flowers, pens, tissues, a glass of water, lamp, etc.

More wonderful curtain treatments including the canopied bed.

Above, Buatta did Aileen Mehle's salon in gorgeous colors. With that wonderful furniture, the room's great proportions, and those curtains, I could live in this one room forever!
Below, you may not have seen the picture ribbons for awhile, but take them down and this room is still perfect for 2014. The furniture is classic; the paintings are amusing, and the sconces, mirrors, and screen add to the luxury of the mix.

Hmmm, what would Buatta do with my townhouse, I wonder, and its less than grand proportions?!
  Selected photos are from Architectural Digest.