5 Creative Ways To Incorporate Blue Into Your Home Décor
Cool, tranquil, deep. From the sky to the oceans, we are surrounded by blue each day, including its ability to cool our senses and open our minds. Blue is a primary color often associated with instituting a peaceful mood of its calm, soothing water-like vibe. With its many shades, it has several layers of meaning.
According to Super Color Digital, light blue may help promote health and understanding, while dark blue is associated with knowledge and integrity, plus many other optimistic qualities. Originally produced in ancient Egypt, pigments of blue have evolved over the years through the art world with such masterworks as Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (1665). Whichever shade you prefer, blue is highly dynamic with its aura of positivity and depth.
How can you include blue within your home décor? Depending on how much blue you're seeking, you can apply it with subtle hints or make it stand out boldly on its own. From adding azure accents with blankets or throws, pillows, and rugs to pieces of furniture, dishes, and tiles, there are several ways to consider utilizing the various shades of blue throughout your home. Keep reading to learn how to incorporate this color into your interior design.
Go for a monochromatic scheme
Set the blue mood. Like the constant rolling waves of the ocean, make the same shade of blue consistent throughout an entire room. This might include painting the walls, doors, and ceiling to match. Often associated with coastal waters, this can be done well in a beach house or coastal cottage.
For a more sublime look like Richard Gere's all-blue room in "Nights in Rodanthe," which complements the nearby ocean elements, representing it through a patterned blue wallpaper, curtains, and stained glass. A once adorned color in 18th century France, especially by Marie Antoinette, pastel blue is a soft shade to closely pair with décor, furniture, built-in bookshelves, and walls, per This is Versailles.
You might also use lighter and darker hues variations to bring a blue room together. Smaller spaces like a foyer, mud room, or bedroom would allow a lovely layered blue palette. According to Simplicable, there are over 200 different hues to choose from. Once you've established the main shade, choose a couple of others that stay within proximity. For example, a uniquely patterned chair, wallpaper, or lamp with a floral design can add depth and texture when balanced with other solid-colored features. Whatever blue pieces you choose to build your monochrome room with, make it fun and creative.
Accentuate the shade in the kitchen
A typical space in the home you might not see blue is the kitchen. However, when placed in the right location, like the island, there are many possibilities that this color can offer, including making a sophisticated impression, especially when contrasted with white. Vibrant cobalt blue and white are often synonymous with Greece and its counterpart, the Mediterranean Sea.
While keeping the tone of the kitchen neutral with white, beige, brown, or gray colors, add an eye-popping shade of blue to cabinetry, countertops, backsplashes, floors, light fixtures, and tiles. For a bit more placement, include blue appliances like a stove, blender, tea kettle, breakfast nook table, or curtains.
Although warmer colors like orange and yellow typically enhance the appetite in the kitchen, blue can also add a sense of balance to your cabinetry and other poignant places in this space. Misty tones of blue or a fainter aqua may complement the natural light of the kitchen, while a darker navy will, especially if the area is generally dark. Additionally, you could display your striking blue pieces on built-in shelving, like actress Gwyneth Paltrow's classic Hermès dishes perched on her kitchen wall, per PureWow.
Create multiple blue surface areas
There are several ways you might cover a room or space in blue. Whether it's with area rugs, carpeting, or drapes, embellish it with your favorite shade. You might decorate your windows with solid blue fabric curtains or feature an exquisite blue and white Toile de Jouy pattern.
Originally established in 18th century France, the classic French country design adds a subtle yet classic ambiance when used sparingly, per Brocante, Ma Jolie. If you can't find a style to your liking, browse around a fabric store to find a design or texture that you could make into curtains. If you're keeping the walls muted, a beautiful blueberry-colored area rug or runner will also draw attention quickly.
Another method is to paint a particular area like an accent wall, ceiling, or floor. Whether it's concrete, tile, or wood, you might emphasize blue across one space to make it truly speak for itself. For example, make a patio, garage, or laundry room floor pop while your blue hue covers the surface area of these everyday spaces. Likewise, a blue accent wall, back shelving space, or door will complement color schemes with black, brown, gray, and white like the interior of the brick fireplace shown above. You could also paint your favorite shade on a cabinet, dresser, chair, or end table.
Accessorize with blue décor and furniture
With so many options for home décor, position your blue items in practical areas like bookshelves, coffee tables, and furniture. Mix it up. Include a variety of shades to achieve the color's subtle appearance. Decorative pieces might include blankets, lamps or lampshades, pillows, and vases. Other simple ways to decorate are with artwork, a stack of blue books, indigo candles, and flowers like cornflowers, hydrangeas, roses, or forget-me-nots, among other blue blossoms, per BloomsByThe Box.
Depending on how much blue you want to communicate, establish it through significant furniture pieces like a couch, chair(s), or ottoman. Besides white, blue has a few other complementing colors to coincide with, like various shades of orange, red, yellow or gold, and brown, per Lifewire. To get the most out of your décor, select pieces with the finest shades to complement your space, then move things around until they look accurate.
Bold statements for the win
Embrace big, bold décor with your favorite shade of blue. If you have a large statement piece like a balcony, chandelier, exposed staircase, railing, or other objects, you might enhance its presence further with a bold blue color. For example, you can modernize an old metal chandelier by painting it a captivating blue of your choice.
According to Colton Crump DIY, spray paint is better than using a paintbrush, as the spraying will provide thorough coverage without excess dripping or brush marks. Another place to venture is into the bathroom. As blue often signifies water, the shower or vanity backsplash are great places to add character and depth with alluring tiles. From opulent blue subway tiles to soft, shimmering Caribbean Sea-like tiles, they will appear brilliant against white walls and glass features.
Other statement pieces might be a blue headboard in the bedroom, a playhouse in the kids' room, or a staircase. Whether your staircase is wood or metal, make sure you prime and prep it well beforehand. With wood, a popular choice is either satin or semi-gloss paint, which are often used on floors, per Stair-Rods Direct. For metal, an anti-slip floor paint would be advisable. Don't ignore whatever speaks to you in blue, as some pieces might make an even bolder statement in their newfound color.