Using Touches of Blue in Design

Are you looking to bring a little bit of color into your home but not sure where to start? Begin with a blue design! This color never seems to go out of style and can be effortlessly incorporated into any existing design thanks to the endless moods of blue shades. Whether you’re looking for a bold cobalt backsplash in your kitchen or want to complement your neutral color palette with navy in the bedroom, blue is your best friend. By sticking to the basics of color theory and dressing up your space with shades of blue, you can achieve a timeless palette that calls back to the natural world.  

Is Blue in For Decorating?

Design Sketch Matte/Satin Porcelain by Emser Tile

Just take a look around at current interior design and fashion trends and you’ll notice blue is everywhere. Navy blue, especially, continues to be a leading color in interior design trends from kitchen cabinetry to accent wallpaper. Since blue is grounding and familiar, it's no surprise that this color makes its way into trends year after year. For 2022, in particular, shades of deep blue are the most on-trend from indigo to gray blues.

Infusing Blue into Soft Surfaces

One way to easily incorporate blue into your interior design is through soft surfaces. Maybe you’re transforming your home into a coastal style and looking for blue living room ideas, so you opt for a seafoam blue textured rug under the coffee table. Or maybe you want to take a deeper dive into the color trend and commit to a patterned blue carpet in the bedroom.

Blue Tile Accents

Sublimity in Encaustic Mindful by Daltile

Tile is another wonderful way to infuse touches of blue throughout your home. Think kitchen backsplashes, shower walls, mosaic inlays, and accent walls. Blue tile has long been a staple in bathrooms, but now with the advancement in tile cutting technology, you don’t have to stick to right-angled shapes. Now available in arabesque, diamond, fan, wave, and the trending hexagon, you can dress up or dress down your design with blue tiling as you see fit.

How Do You Use Blue Décor?

Design by MICHELLE BERWICK  Photography by LARRY ARNAL

One trend that we’ve seen pick up throughout recent years is colored cabinetry. This laundry room design by Michelle Berwick beautifully showcases the way you can tie blue cabinets into an otherwise all-white design. Paired with penny tiles, white oak countertops, and black hardware, these soft blue cabinets lend a coastal feel to the space. Sometimes, sprucing up your cabinets and walls with a fresh coat of paint can make a world of difference. 

Design by LOUIS DUNCAN-HE 

When it comes to blue decor, you truly can’t go wrong. In this blue living room design by Louis Duncan-He, a deep sea blue takes center stage with a coiffured blue ceiling and seeps color into the rest of the design through artwork, throw pillows, and an area rug. Blue furniture is an easy way to make a statement and layering several blue shades in one room, such as Louis Duncan-He has done here, works to establish depth.

Design by LISA KOOISTRA  Photography by MIKE CHAJECKI

This statement sink showcases an eye-popping cobalt blue that’s especially striking against the gold finishes. By infusing this half-bath with bright blue accents, Lisa Kooistra has turned a basic bathroom design into a gorgeous experience with whimsical blue wallpaper on the ceiling and crisp white lines paired with curved finishes.  

If you’re ready to try blue in your home but wondering what color goes well with blue, you’ll be pleased to know that almost any color complements blue. In general, lighter shades of blue pair better with softer shades like yellow and pink, whereas a bright blue might look better with bold tones like red and green. Pair darker blues with jewel tones, creams, whites, and golds. 

Explore the rest of our Trending Ten to learn more about the top flooring products and styles for 2022.