Styling your Home with Blue Accents: Different Ways to Use this Timeless Hue
Interior Styling Blog for Real Homes: Ideas, Advice & Inspiration
Hi, I’m Sandra, this blog is about interior styling for real homes. If you love interiors and want your home to feel stylish, pulled together, yet still personal, you’ve come to the right place.
I’ll be sharing practical styling advice to help you edit, layer, and finish your home with confidence, alongside articles on what’s happening in the interiors world — from design events to colour stories - so you get the full picture. I also take you on tours of beautifully styled homes from around the world, offering inspiration and styling ideas to steal for your own space. Ultimately, I’ll show you how a little bit of styling can be transformational and take your home to a whole new level.
In today’s post, I’ll be sharing different ways to style with blue accents whether it’s a bold two-toned wall or a soft blue table lamp, you’ll discover different ways top bring this timeless hue into your home.
BRINGING BLUE INTO YOUR INTERIOR
Photo credit: Sandra van Aalst
Blue has always been one of my favourite colours. Not only is it part of nature's palette, the sky and sea, but it also works in most settings, bringing calm and clarity into a room. I think it started with my love of Delft Blue, which I’ve collected over the years in all sorts of shapes and forms, from plates to jugs.as well as a stunning pendant light by Dutch Designer Jacco Maris that hung in my last kitchen, pictured here.
While ice blue is on trend in fashion right now, blue in its many shades is extremely versatile, and there are so many different tones to choose from: pale pastels with grey undertones, cool denims, traditional navy, and teal blues to name but a few. I always seem to opt for some shade of blue in my home, like the kitchen in the image, which was a mix of two blues, with the cabinetry along the wall a pale blue (Porcelain II by Paint and Paper Library) and the kitchen island in a deeper blue (Blue Blood by Paint and Paper Library).
Blue is a colour that makes us feel good, being elegant as well as rooted in nature. So, in this post, I’m sharing with you a few different ways to bring blue into your home through various tones, textures and ideas.
BLUE WALL DECOR WITH PLATES
This was my utility room where I carried the same deeper blue from the kitchen island painted in a rich blue called Blue Blood by Paint and Paper Library. I chose this particular blue to tie in with both the plates I hung on the wall and the pendant light in the kitchen. I found three of the original Delft plates in vintage and thrift shops, and mixed them with two modern designs featuring writing, both by Delft. To complete the look, I sourced a couple of fun additions, one with an illustration of a chair and the other a blue frame. Plates are such a timeless way to decorate a wall and introduce a particular colour to a room. Whether grouped together in a kitchen, hallway or dining room, they add charm and a personal touch to your walls.
Photo credit: Sandra van Aalst
BLUE WALLS
This home office is painted in River Blue by Benjamin Moore, which I particularly like as it is similar in depth to the colour I chose for the kitchen in my new home, which is in Teal, also by Benjamin Moore and looks gorgeous paired with my bright white Calcutta-style worktop. This colour of the wall pictured here, like teal, has rich green undertones that give it real depth and works beautifully, complemented with the pale shades and wooden tones in the room. A partially painted accent wall, like the one pictured here, adds drama and contrast without overwhelming the room.
Photo credit: Benjamin Moore
BLUE SHADES GALLERY WALL
Here is a stylish gallery wall made up of five framed pieces, all in varying shades of blue. What I like about this display is that none of the prints are solid blue, and they have a softness that is accentuated by the crisp white backgrounds. Three of the prints tie together, being of a similar style and shade of blue. Notice that the ceramic piece in a complementary blue, also hanging, breaks up the monotony of the frames and adds depth and interest. I always like to include at least one unexpected item to my gallery wall, such as a rattan fan or sculptural object, to give a more curated feel. So the styling tip here is that art is a great way to bring colour into a room.
Photo credit: Desenio
STEEL BLUE CUSHION
Deep blue tones add instant contrast and sophistication to a space. This striking steel-toned linen cushion from Cox & Cox may be plain, but its texture and soft ruffle edge add interest. What pulls the look together is repeating the blue in the vase and artwork nearby, which makes a room feel so much more cohesive, rather than a stand-alone piece.
Photo credit: Cox & Cox
BLUE WALLPAPER AND TABLECLOTH
I love how this dining room embraces that maximalist pattern-on-pattern look - from the bold blue trees on the wall to the patterned tablecloth and even the layered lighting, with both hanging lampshades and a floor lampshade tucked at the back. The tablecloth is in a dusk blue and is from the Enchanted Transylvania collection by Mindthegap, complementing the other shades of blue in the room. Mixing patterns can be tricky to pull off, but it is easier if you stick to one colour way like the blue pictured here.
Photo credit: MINDTHEGAP
COPENHAGEN BLUE SOFA
A blue sofa can make such a strong statement in a room. Having said that, I remember my very first sofa was a dark, inky blue, and I wasn’t really a fan of it. But once I paired it with some neutral cushions, it became elevated and more stylish. The sofa pictured here, by Arlo and Jacob, is a timeless design with classic button detailing, so it doesn’t need much in the way of accessories, but the black and white striped cushion, strategically placed, really sets off the blue beautifully and combines with the off-white of the wall behind. Even with a sofa in blue, you still want to aim to include a couple of other blue touches in the room, like the blue side table and blue detailing in the artwork pictured here.
Photo credit: Arlo and Jacob
BLUE AZTEC CERAMIC JAR
A gorgeous jar like this Blue & White Aztec-Inspired Ceramic Ginger Jar from Click Style is the perfect way to introduce a blue accent into a room. Versatile home decor pieces like this look striking on a shelf, console or sideboard/credenza. You can style them as part of a vignette alongside other blue pieces or as a stand alone statement. Accessories like vases, jugs, bowls and other vessels are an effortless and often underrated way of bringing colour into the home.
Photo credit: Click Style
LULWORTH BLUE ROLL TOP BATH
This freestanding slipper bath stands bold in this strong shade of blue, which looks so striking against the rustic stone wall. This particular model, by Renaissance at Home, is an incredibly versatile bath as it can be decorated in whichever tone of blue you choose, or another colour, and can even be wrapped in fabric or leather for a truly unique finish. I actually painted a bath once myself in a deep plum tone. The result was good but took hours of work; still, it showed that just like the bath pictured here, if you are going for bespoke, it will be a real stand-out piece.
Photo credit: Renaissance at Home
DENIM BLUE LINEN
Dressing your bed in blue is one of the simplest and most effortless ways to bring blue into your home. In the bedroom pictured here, the bed has been styled with blue French linen by Soak & Sleep, giving it that casual, rumpled good look. The beauty of dressing a bed with blue, or another single colour, is that you can layer the bed with different shades, which achieves such a stylish, considered look. This bed has the blue duvet cover and pillow cases, but in addition, a subtle striped blue and white pillow has been added, while a textured throw in another blue tone brings it all together.
Photo credit: Soak & Sleep
BLUE PATTERNED BLIND
When we think of blue interiors, the coastal look always springs to mind. So I thought I’d share with you this lovely, coastal-inspired laundry room which features a Roman blind with a geometric pattern in cobalt blue, together with blue and white striped and textured fabrics from Ian Mankin’s Coast collection. This image demonstrates how blue, especially in coastal tones, can bring a fresh, natural and relaxed feel to a space. These shades of blue also pair beautifully with other coastal materials, such as rattan and wicker, like the baskets and pots pictured here.
Photo credit: Ian Mankin
BLUE RETRO-STYLE CHAIR
A chair is a great way to introduce blue with furniture, and it is less of a commitment than a sofa, although it can still pack a visual punch. Blue looks luxurious in fabrics like velvet, as shown here in this stunning piece by Covet House. So, if you are considering introducing blue through seating, opt for an accent chair or set of dining chairs for even more impact. If it’s an accent chair, don’t let it be a standalone pop of blue; add a shade of blue somewhere else in the room, like the chair in the image here, which is paired with a fluted sideboard/credenza in a matching blue tone.
Photo credit: Covet House
BLUE CERAMIC TABLE LAMP
You so often see the Ikat pattern in classic black and white, but it looks stunning in blue, like on this hand-painted ceramic table lamp base pictured here by Dar Lighting. Table lamps, as well as floor lamps and pendant lights, are a simple yet impactful way of bringing a splash of blue to your interior. You can pair them with other blue accents, like the blue and yellow dish pictured here, or tie it in with blue soft furnishings or artwork. I also picked this image not just for the lamp, but to demonstrate that blue can be teamed with stronger contrasting colours, like the mustard tones here, with stunning effects.
Photo credit: Dar Lighting Group
BLUE WALL AND BENCH
This two-toned wall has been painted in distinctly different shades to give it that accent wall feel, but without being overpowering. It's great for adding subtle contrast and works beautifully in this set up with a variety of woven bags and baskets and a bench by JYSK, all in natural tones which really complement the blue.
Photo credit: JYSK
ROYAL BLUE JUG AND TABLECLOTH
I have a very similar green jug to the one pictured here, which I usually display on a coffee table in a room with green accents - it’s amazing how this extra piece helps tie the colour scheme together. I occasionally fill it with flowers to make it even more of a feature. Whether styled empty or filled with blooms, a coloured glass jug like the Royal Blue Dew Drop Jug by Casa by JJ pictured here, adds colour and elegance to a room.
Photo credit: Casa by JJ
DARK BLUE OUTDOOR TABLE WITH BLUE PLATES
Finally, don’t forget that blue works beautifully outside, too. This café-style table and chairs in a smart navy blue make a change from black and give that relaxed holiday feel. In the image, the table has been set with lighter-toned blue enamel plates and bowls by Talking Tables, which are a colourful and easy way to accessorise outdoors. Here, the blue is mixed with a lemon tone, which really adds a pop of colour to the setting. You could also opt for a blue outdoor rug and/or cushions to carry the blue through, creating an inviting exterior space.
Photo credit: Talking Tables
