Decorating Blues!

What goes with your favorite pair of blue jeans?  Just about anything!

Perhaps that’s why blue is such a popular design trend in our homes! It’s a more lively neutral that plays well with others.

When it comes to bringing blue inside your home, there are SO many options for pairing other colors with your favorite blue hue:

• Monochromatic colors stay in the same color family, but vary the intensity for depth.
• Analogous colors are neighboring families on the color wheel: Blue-green and Blue-violet.
• Complementary color is the opposite on the color wheel. For blue, it’s orange (a nice balance of warm/cool tones)
• A Split Complementary approach pairs the two colors on either side of the complementary color: Yellow-orange or red-orange
• Triad colors for blue include yellow and red – think nautical
• Tetrad colors are a group every 4^th color on the color wheel: blue, orange, red-violet, and yellow-green

But no need to get hung up on color rules…blue is very forgiving, just like your favorite pair of jeans!

Here are some rooms that have the blues, in a good way!

This is more of a beach blue, or sea glass blue, but I’m in love with the color AND the appliances. Note the differing shades of blue in the tiles and the use of green and yellow in the cupboards. Against a white background, it makes a nice splash (pun intended).

Photo by Richard Leo Johnson for Sunset Magazine

Here’s another kitchen that uses a more true-blue in the cabinets. Note the use of yellow-green and orange! Throw in some red-violet and you’ve got a great example of tetrad colors.

Photo by Thomas J. Story for Sunset Magazine

Let’s keep going with kitchen examples for now…here’s one of my favorites from Domino. The black chandelier is yummy, and the children’s artwork and orange-red saucepans hint at a split complementary color strategy.

Photo: Domino Magazine

Ok, enough about blue kitchens! I love the bedroom with soothing blue walls, warm textured drapes and a cool apple green bed.

Photo: Domino Magazine

Here’s another bedroom that is anchored with black/white and accented with a lively pop of red. A subtle nautical feel.

Photo: Domino Magazine

And lastly, if you’d like to get your blues on without a lot of work, how about painting candlesticks from a thrift shop? A beautiful, illuminating spot of color!

Photo: Sunset Magazine

Just like your favorite pair of jeans, trust your instincts and have some fun with color.

How have you used blue in your home?