7 Ways To Decorate With Blue

A Little Blue

A restrained palette with a few cool accents creates the overall effect of a blue room. This mainly white bedroom benefits from the blue tones in the pillows, a basket, and a soft rug beneath it all.

Tip: Collect all the items in similar color groups from around your house, and see if you can create a “color story” in one room with things you already own.

Blue-Ribbon Style

Bold dollops of turquoise invigorate this California living room. A strong, clear color like this works well with black accents. It would also make a great bathroom scheme: black-and-white tile with turquoise towels.

Tip: Pillows are a low-cost way to experiment with your favorite color of the moment.

Blue Fin

Blue and green appear together in nature and are equally at home paired indoors. Here, bright blue rafters are echoed by the painting’s sky and the bright bed pillows.

Tip: Look for opportunities to use paint to accent architecture.

Sea of Blue

A blue painted floor helps the living room relate to the pool beyond the double doors in this Florida house. A casual mixing of blue tones, from denim on the pillows to aqua floors, helps a limited palette avoid looking too starchy.

Tip: A painted floor can completely transform a room and redeem less-than-perfect wood planks.

Bar Fly

An unexpected coat of blue paint inside an antique chest updates its look instantly and creates chic storage for barware.

Tip: Look to the backs of bookcases and closets for opportunities to use creative color.

Blue Oasis

A symphony of blues and greens creates a peaceful oasis in this bedroom. Consider the sizzling chemistry between aqua and chartreuse. A clear, French blue adds an unexpected pop of color on the lampshade.

Tip: Lampshades are easy to swap out and provide great opportunities to add character with color.

Blue Point

Walls swathed in aqua paint make a fresh, modern statement in this Florida home. Clean-lined, mint green upholstered furniture contrasts coolly with the crisp walls. Sunny yellow accents add bright notes of cheer.

Tip: Blues can be notoriously tricky to get right. Paint large areas of the wall with swatches of your final choices to make sure the light doesn’t turn a soft aqua into Baby Boy Blue.

-- By Lydia Somerville, Senior Editor