Blue has been a go-to color combination for the nautical theme forever but it has broken out as a big design trend in the recent years. It provides respite from the beige overload we have seen in the last decade. Crate and Barrel has a staple blue mood board. So does the Nate Berkus collection at Target. You can find it at any price range.
THREE WAYS to use a blue color palette in your home-
- Go Tonal– use different tones of light and dark. The other is to build a complementary scheme with blues and teals.
- Build a Complementary Scheme with blues, sea green and teals.
- Create Contrast with a shade of orange or yellows if you like a pop of color.
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR when using blues.
- It is a relaxing color. Ideal for lounging in.
- It expands the space (that’s the effect on the eyes). Makes an area look slightly bigger.
- It is best avoided in rooms that don’t get direct sunlight (where the window is in the north or north-east).
- It works great with most shades of wood but is really hard to match with red floors like Cherry.
In this blue and white color scheme – the accent wall is a lighter shade of blue so it provides the anchor point for the darker, almost denim blue couch. The cream Poang chairs from Ikea are pretty easily recognizable.
The artwork is also in shades of blue and white.
The repetition of the two colors in varying degrees creates balance without being too matchy-matchy.
This south facing living room in this rental gets plenty of sunshine throughout the day so the blue does not make this area appear dull at all.This is a contemporary, minimal-ish space it could do with an area rug that helps define the space. Watch out for the addition in the next post here.
