Showing posts with label decorating with blue and white. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decorating with blue and white. Show all posts

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Blue Rooms: Classic Beauty No Matter What Style

blue living room
 Ah, the many shades and hues of blue.  They are all beautiful, and blue rooms are true classics. If you have white walls or grey walls and you are looking for a change, consider the humble color blue. It is instantly calming, can be vibrant or soft and subtle, and suits all furniture and design styles whether lush Old World or spare minimalism modern.
 Not sure what to use with it? Try doing a monochromatic blue and let natural accessories to the room such as books add extra color.  Look at the wonderful library below! Do you really need more colors? And molding painted blue is gorgeous!
blue library
 Use blue with crisp white or with cream, 2 classic combinations.
 The hall below is perfect.
blue hall
 Artwork is beautiful on a blue background.   Below, the blue and gold combination is an oft-used scheme in traditional homes.
blue living room

blue decor
 Above, crisp white with a darker blue, very clean and classic.
 Below, a robin's egg shade of blue is appetizing for a dining room.
rooblue room
    Bathrooms in blue and white look clean and fresh.
blue bathroom
   Calming blue is perfect for the bedroom.
blue bedroom decor

decorating with blue and white
Notice the ginger jar below, an easy way to add blue and white to any room.
decorating with blue and white
I love the bedroom, below, with the ceiling painting blue and stenciled.
decorating with blue and white
Classic toile belongs in the bedroom, and is especially good for guest bedrooms.
blue toile bedroom

A blue and cream/white kitchen is pleasant to work in: not overly bright, not too dark. 
blue kitchen


blue kitchen
Love the kitchen below; perfect if your kitchen has plenty of light.
blue kitchen

Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Special Beauty of Blue and White

blue and white toile
 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.

blue and white bedroom

blue and white bedroom

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

blue and white bedroom

blue and white bedroom
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!
decorating with blue and whitedecorating with blue and white

decorating with blue and white
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.
decorating with blue and white
What a peaceful sitting room!
blue and white decor
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.
decorating with blue and white
Above, blue and white porcelain looks wonderful against almost any color.  Here it's lovely against a warm grey.
blue and white decor
Blue and white is marvelous for a kitchen!
blue and white kitchen

decorating with blue and white
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.
blue and white decor