If you want to decorate in a contemporary coastal theme, look to the vibes of Serena & Lily, and if you want to decorate with a country flair but in a contemporary way, look to the designs of James T. Farmer.
Which blue paint colour would you choose?
Blue is a popular colour in the world of interiors and it’s easy to see why. Choosing the right blue paint colour can have a transformative effect on how a person feels when they walk into a space. From feeling an oasis of calm and serenity to dramatic and glamourous, choosing the right blue is a tricky one. We have put together a collection of our favourite blues from the Albany collection to help you achieve the perfect feeling in your space.
Light Blue Paint:
A light blue can help us feel serene due to the connection with the natural world. Reminiscent of wide-open skies or crystal blue shores, using a light blue within a space can help you to feel more relaxed and refreshed. Blue tints are also perfect for rooms with a lot of natural light or south facing rooms.
Cup of Sugar – An almost white with blue undertones
Waterfall – A pale blue with green undertones
Skye Boat – A pure blue hue
Inky Blue Paint:
Inky blues are deeper and therefore more dramatic. Whether you’re decorating a small room or a big room, inky blue tones can make a real statement. Think about combining with natural wood tones and pops of brighter colours to establish impact.
Storm Blue – A moodier blue with strong green undertones
Napoleon – A rich, deep blue
Denim Dream – A rich blue with strong purple undertones
How to Decorate with Blue
According to color psychology, blue creates feelings of trust, serenity, and confidence. If you are not careful though, it can become icy, making a space cold and impersonal. Alternatively, the wrong blue can look too youthful, calling up stereotypical allusions to baby boy nurseries.
To avoid these pitfalls pay close attention to the room’s orientation , the shade’s undertones , and your color pairings. First observe the orientation of the room you are decorating. Does it face north, south, east, or west? If it faces north to east, you will have cooler light pouring through the windows and should consider using blue shades with warmer undertones. If the room faces south to west, you can use cooler blues.
What are undertones?
When a color is made by mixing two+ colors together that color will have both a primary tone and an undertone — an underlying color that creates that turquoise (combining blue and green) or magenta (combining red and blue). Your eye perceives the primary tone that tells you the color is red, blue, green and so forth, but the undertone often affects how warm or cool that color feels. Some blues will feel warmer than others because they lean more to the purple red side and others feel more cool because they lean to the green side.
If you ever picked out a white paint color you thought was crisp white then got it home to discover it has a yellow or pink tint, you’ve observed the power of undertones! Your lighting source (natural vs. incandescent vs. fluorescent) can have a major impact on this tint too, which is why you must consider the orientation of your room. Read more about undertones here.
Colors can also have a muddy appearance depending on how much gray is added to them. The more gray the more earthy the color feels. I highly recommend choosing blues with this muddier appearance for paints because this will help you avoid that bright blue sky look or the allusions to nurseries.
Some of my favorite blue paint colors are:
This is the wall color in my family room and master bedroom
This is the wall color in my dining room and powder room
Color pairings
The colors you pair with blue can be key to avoiding those pitfalls we discussed earlier. If a room is feeling too icy, it probably needs some warmer elements to balance that icy blue hue. Yellow and orange are the classic choices, and you can find countless examples of a blue and yellow color scheme out there for inspiration.
But for a more grandmillennial approach, I recommend warming up your blues with pink shades, gilt accents, and/or rich wood tones. Avoid grays and silvers because those add more cool tones, and those color combos feel farmhouse or even glam with the right furnishings.
In my dining room I added gold accents with the mirror, sconces, and chandelier to warm up the blue walls. See more of my dining room in this post.
