Today let’s talk about how to use the color blue in your home! Have you been wondering what a good shade of blue would be from your bathroom, living room kitchen, or bed room? Also, is blue a timeless or trendy color? Deciding to paint or wallpaper a room is a big decision, a time commitment, and a monetary investment. You want to be sure you like the color before you commit!
Here are a few handy paint color palettes that may help you in making a decision:
Sherwin Williams:
These lovely blues pull from the grey-blue sections as do most of the other paint companies right now. You will see a range from very light, to medium, and darker blues from each company. “Atmospheric” is a light airy, sky blue which would look great in a sunny break fast nook, or for the ceiling on a porch. “Stardew” pulls a bit of green and cold blend well with a warmer color palette. We used “Tranquil Aqua” for the accent wall in our master bedroom and love it!
Benjamin Moore:
I really like the perfect medium tones of “Blueprint” from BM. It looks very similar to the blue we used in our bathroom. It is just enough color not to be a light blue, but not so dark it feels heavy.
Farrow & Ball:
As can be expected the colors from F&B are superbly blended and sophisticated. “Oval Room Blue” is extremely popular and if you do a search on Pinterest you’ll see why… We actually ordered a sample pot of the “Stone Blue” because it’s lovely, but also because it’s a play off our last name… In the end we went with a SW……. that was a bit more laid back. “Stiffkey Blue” is also a gorgeous shade of blue that I’d be willing to try in an English study.
Behr:
If you’re looking for something that’s a little less blue then “Cumberland Fog” would be a good, almost neutral option. “Smokey Blue” is a warm, medium blue if you are looking for something a little softer and cozier in the blue world. The “English Channel” would definitely be a contender for an English study!
We chose to use SW 9151 Daphne for the blue paint color for our master bathroom. A light blue would’ve been lighter and possibly made the space feel lighter, but we wanted the room to have some weight and this color blue went well with the accent tile in the shower.
Our bathroom remodel has been finished for over a year now and we both are very happy with it. The space feels bigger, brighter, and just like “us”.
To give the space a completed look with personalized layers I added some pretty and practical decor in blue and white from the thrift store. I’ll link the bathroom remodel reveal for you if you’re interested.
In addition to using blue in our home we also love mixing in the color green! If you are a lover of green then you would be interested in the post and video we did on using cottage green colors in your home. Since both blue and green are dominant colors in nature they mix well. Before creating our home color palette experimented with vignettes of green and blue to see how well we liked the combination. To date this is both of our favorite decor arrangement on the hutch. If you are uncertain about using a color in your home I suggest doing something like this. Gather items from around your home in that color and create a display, them let it be for a few days, or a week, to see how it appeals to you over time. you might also take a look at your wardrobe and note if the color in question appears (and how often) in the clothing you wear.
Another exercise you might consider is creating a “living mood board“. I came across this idea from Marian Parsons, aka Miss Mustard Seed on her blog. The idea is similar to creating the vignettes, but the pieces are smaller and lay flat versus being displayed on a shelf. I encourage you to try one of these exercises to help you discover if blue is a color you want to include in your home.
Once I was certain that blue would be a player in our home color palette then I felt comfortable picking up art, dishes, textiles, and home decor in blue. This plan has worked out beautifully! Everything is mixing well no matter which room I pull it from. This gives me greater versatility from room to room.
Currently, (as many of you know) we are working on our living room makeover and I know for sure we want to include the color blue. I’ve added blue and white “Flow Blue” plates on the wall, and have been pouring through fabric selections for drapes, throw pillows/blankest, and upholstery. Now, to stay within budget I will most likely thrift/make the throw pillow covers, thrift the throw blankets, and save for the drapes and for recovering the wingback chairs. But in the mean time, it is a good plan to have an idea of how all the different colors and patterns would work together. Plus, it’s fun!
Here is a sneak peek of a mood board for what I’m considering for the window seat wall in the living room. I’m loving how the blue plaid drapes lend a masculine feeling to the room while softening the edges of the window seat and tying in with the wingbacks. I feels cohesive and calm. These chairs are the best mock chairs I could find to stand in for ours, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t do a solid… Imagine that!