When The Blues Are A Good Thing (Color Theory)

Feeling blue, having the blues, are sayings associated with people's moods but having blue around in interior design is actually a very good thing.

Blue rooms have  been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rate, and although it opposes the “feeling blue” idiom, living in a blue room has been proven in multiple studies to help people with depression. It’s almost impossible to be stressed out in a blue room! Blue helps us sleep too. We love blue and white together, but blue also pairs excellently with bright colors that are sometimes difficult to work with (like green, orange, or fuchsia) and with several materials, like wood and metallics. via Kathy Kuo Home

Blue is also America's favorite color. More people claim blue as their favorite color than any other. Almost 50% of men say it's their favorite and 35% of women choose blue as their favorite color. It is the most prominent color used in marketing and social media platforms - now you know why. Everybody loves blue!

(You can introduce blue into a room through art. Seascapes are an easy way to do this but this leopard print from @urbangardenprints is a unique way to so this. And cyanotypes like the one below are another unique type of blue artwork.)

There are a lot of interior designers (think Mark D. Sikes or Ralph Lauren) and design bloggers known for using a lot of blue in their projects. If you aren't a professional blue is always a great color to build a room design around. There are a lot of scientific reasons (having to do with light, perception, etc.) why blue is so easy on the eye and compliments most color schemes but the bottom line is that for most of us it is easier use in a room design than other colors. It's a great color to start with and build design confidence along the way. 

You don't have to paint the walls blue if you aren't feeling that confident. This blue leopard print chair is a great addition to my fairly neutral Family Room and picks up the blue from the blue and white chinoiserie pieces dotted around the room. Or just add a cozy, soft blue throw to a couch to introduce a larger amount of blue to your space. 

Obviously, I think adding blue and white chinoiserie pieces like lamps and planters or blue and white pillows is the quickest and easiest way to add blue to a space. 

My library mantel is filled with blue and white pieces and I've introduced a softer blue into the room through my vintage globe collection. If you have blue accents in a room your eye will travel around to them and you'll have a relaxing response to all of the blue.

I used blue and white checks to recover the seat cushions on our bamboo porch furniture. This is a classic way to add summery blue to your outside spaces. And blue hydrangeas are such a fun way to have blue inside and out during the summer. 

And a little blue paint on an accent piece can be a very bold way to add some blue to your space. 

This wicker bench was looking dingy and worn...

And after 15 minutes and some blue spray paint!

So fresh and much more exciting.

Even my pumpkins are blue and white!!

Oh, and my Easter eggs are blue and white, too :))

So, I guess I can say I've always got a touch of the blues...

What about you?

Catch up with the rest of the "color theory" series (so far!) here:

Orange 

Yellow

Green

And don't miss the Color Theory Reels on IG:

Orange

Yellow

Green