Blue And White Decorating Ideas

For a classic color scheme that never goes out of style, you can't go wrong with blue and white. It has a serene and inviting feeling that can be used in any room in your house…from the living room to the dining room to bedrooms and bathrooms. These blue and white decorating ideas will provide all the inspiration you need.

Have you ever been wandering around the internet, looking for inspiration for something and then ended up getting sucked into looking at something totally different?

That's exactly what happened to me this week.

I have been planning a party and looking for some inspiration for party decorations.

Somehow in the process of doing that, I got totally side-tracked by some beautiful pictures of blue and white rooms.

There's just something about that combination of blue and white that I love. And I just can't help myself. I have to look at it.

Which is probably why I have so much blue and white in my own home decor.

Plus, it's such a classic color combination that it never really goes out of style.

So here are some of my favorite blue and white decorating ideas.

1 | Use Blue Accents With White Walls

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The most common way to create a blue and white room is to paint the walls white and add blue accents and furniture.

This creates a really light and airy feel in the room, like this blue and white living room.

And makes it really easy to change the color scheme later if you want to.

Although I can't imagine ever getting tired of blue and white. But that's just me 🙂

2 | Paint The Trim Blue

To take the white walls with blue accents color scheme one step further, try painting the molding and trim blue.

I love how it makes the architectural details stand out in this blue and white living room.

3 | Paint The Walls Blue

Living room with blue walls, white curtains and a blue sofa

Of course, if you're like me and prefer to have lots of color on the walls, you can do the opposite…paint the walls blue and add white accents.

This is what I did in my living room.

And my guest bathroom.

And the original version of my master bedroom (and bathroom). This blue and white toile is still one of my favorite fabric patterns ever!

Did I mention that I like blue and white a lot?

4 | Put Blue And White On the Ceiling

Another one of my favorite decorating tricks for making a room look more interesting is to paint or wallpaper the ceiling.

So it probably isn't surprising I love this living room that has a blue and white ceiling which matches the area rug.

Combined with the rest of the blue and white accents in the room, it makes quite a statement.

5 | Mix Your Blues

Blue and white living room with ocean scene picture

If you think you need to match your blues exactly, you don't. Which is a good thing…finding the exact same color of blue can be tricky.

Don't believe me?

Just take a look at a picture of the tropical ocean (like the one I used for to cover the TV in my living room).

There are all different shades of blue in the ocean. And no-one ever thinks that they don't go.

6 | Add Gold (or Brass)

Blue and white living room with gold accents

While blue and white can go with pretty much any metal, I think the warm-toned ones like gold and brass make the most spectacular combination.

The warmth of the gold really plays off the cool toned blue, making everything stand out more.

My mother used gold to accent her chairs, to cover the mirror frame, to showcase a favorite statue and on the ceiling in her blue and white living room.

She even painted gold dots around the walls to make it look like wallpaper.

All of those details really help to pull the space together, and add a little excitement to the traditional blue and white color scheme.

7 | Use Lots Of Patterns

It's not much of a secret that I like to use lots of patterns when I'm decorating.

But for some reason, blue and white seems to lend itself to patterns even more than other colors.

This blue and white living room has 4 different fabric patterns in it.

And this living room has 5!

It might be all the blue and white ginger jars and garden seats…maybe everyone is just used to seeing blue and white patterns.

But whatever the reason, lots of pattern is a great way to add some interest. You can find my tips for mixing patterns HERE.

8 | Create A Beach-y Color Scheme

If you love the beach and want to create that relaxing, breezy feel at home, mix in a little yellow, like this blue and white dining room.

It instantly creates a feeling of warmth and sunshine without requiring seashells and flip flops. You just can't help but feel happy.

9 | Add Blue and White Accessories

If you don't want to go all out on a whole blue and white room, you can just add some blue and white accessories.

Blue and white vases, candles, and my favorite ginger jars can all be added to any room as an accent.

Even if the walls in the room aren't painted blue, it's likely that blue and white will fit right in.

10 | Use Blue and White As A Neutral

Did you know that blue can be a neutral?

It goes with every other color on the color wheel, which means you can combine it with whatever colors you want to.

If you happen to love blue and white as much as I do, and you're looking for a good way to make your home look cohesive, try blue and white as the basis for your whole house color scheme.

You don't have to use it as the main colors in every room, but if you repeat it in some form throughout your house, you'll be amazed how good it looks.

Other decorating ideas you might like

How To Create A Whole House Color Scheme (Even If You Love Color)
The Color Lover's Guide To Choosing Neutral Paint Colors
How To Choose The Right Paint Color (7 Steps To Help You Decide)

Have comments or questions about our blue and white decorating ideas? Tell us in the section below.