Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Blue and White Rooms and Decorating with Blue and White
Blue and White Rooms Thinking about decorating your room in blue and white? This color union is a match mirrored in the sky and clouds, the snowy mountains, the ocean and breaker waves. Perhaps this sympathy with nature is why blue and white decorating schemes have always been popular, from George and Martha Washington's dining room, to Louisa May Alcott's artistic sister's bedroom, to mansion living rooms in the deep south, and most recently, my own bedroom, freshly painted in an antique gray-blue and light cream last summer.
Blue and White Mount Vernon Dining Room
The Mount Vernon dining room is a dark turquoise-blue on the upper half of the walls, and has a white chair rail trim separating the lower half of the wall, which is a creamy white. This color was common in the deep south, where heat and sun sent richly dressed gentlemen and ladies into the plantation's mansion looking for refreshment in a cool, dimly lit room, made cooler and darker by the dark turquoise walls.
Mount Vernon Blue and White Dining Room
Blue and White Rooms in the Regency Era
This miniature eggshell blue and white room (below) mirrors the elegant room decor found in a majority of high-society houses during the Regency Era (the period when Jane Austen's books were written and published). The gold accents sectioning off portions of the wall and the white crown molding near the ceiling were often seen in parlors and dining rooms. This dusky eggshell blue color had many advantages. It was light enough to keep the room from absorbing all daylight, and it mirrored the sky outside, giving the sitting room a cheery, natural atmosphere. Richly colored paintings often adorned the walls, and thick rugs on the floor cushioned and softened footsteps.
Decorating in Eggshell Blue and White Molding
Decorating with Delft in the Bathroom
Delft-style wallpaper covers the lower half of this small bathroom's walls, giving it the appearance of a larger room through its horizontal sectioning. A quaint delft vase is filled with colorful wooden tulips and a small stack of miniature delft plates graces the counter. Though the overabundance of blue and white in this bathroom could easily overpower the small space, the entrance of a third color into the mix calms and cheers the scene. Butter yellow towels, floor mat, and toilet-seat cover provide just the right balance of color.
Bathroom with Blue Accents
Blue and White Bathroom
Dark blue glass bottles and luminescent blue butterfly wings in a frame are the focal points in this second blue and white bathroom (below), made whiter by the fact that there are really no other colors in the room, except for a few streamlined stainless-steel accessories and a slightly mottled beige floor. The striking contrast between snow-white and vivid blue as seen in this room brings to mind the pure white buildings and brilliant blue roofs of Santorini, Greece.
White and Blue Bathroom Photos
Subtle Blue and White Rooms
One of the lovely attributes of the color blue is that it comes in many different shades that range from bold sapphire and basic navy to subtle gray-green blues and softer periwinkles. The rooms or accessories below show a more delicate blue and white scheme, often combined with a washed-out green, cream, or gray for a gentler look.
Blue, White, and Gray/Green Room Photo
Eggshell Blue and White: My Design
The designs in the four surrounding photos are from a bedroom I recently designed and decorated myself. I wanted to imitate the Regency Era colors and white woodwork while retaining the cozier English-cottage style of living. The blue color has just a touch of aqua and gray that makes it not seem too moody or cold: a very cheerful blue during most hours of the day! I chose to use Anna French "Songbirds" wallpaper on the wall opposite the window to reflect the sunlight and keep the atmosphere from getting too dim or saturated. Though the wallpaper actually has no blue in it, the silvery overtones and delicate green hints in the leaves make the perfect complement to my blue walls. I was thrilled to find curtains (Chris Madden, "Mystique Embroidery") that matched my wallpaper and looked brilliant against my blue walls.
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