{GHP} A blue and white infusion

30 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Collections & Accessories, Misc, Trends

Tags

I’m revisiting this post so I can join Pink Pagoda for her blue and white link party (originally published 2/9/12).

Since it’s raining here and since it’s only 5 days until St. Valentine’s Day when most of us will be thinking shades of pink and red, I thought I’d provide an infusion of blue and white.

Martha Stewart

What is it about the combination of blue and white that appeals to so many? Its classic—I mean it’s never experienced the phrase “So dated!” of say dusty rose and sage green (remember how we all admired that combination even if we didn’t use it?) of the eighties, or chocolate brown and white of the seventies (When I was first married everything had to be chocolate brown and white). Blue and white clearly knows a popularity that remains timeless.

French Kissed

I have a few touches of blue and white in my home and a guest room that is blue and white, but I’ve never been able to afford the complete switch. You know how it is, you get down a path with one color palate and to change would involve some pretty major discarding of items that no longer compliment the blue and white theme, I’ve never been able to convince myself that I want it that bad. And I don’t mean I have to have everything matchy-matchy, but I do like some cohesion where my color palate is concerned…is this just me?

Color Outside the Lines

Classic Casual Home

So, for now, I’ll dream in blue and white and delight in the images I find on the various blogs I enjoy reading each week. I hope you’ll indulge me and maybe get as much pleasure as I do from the clean, crisp look of blue and white in the home.

Lori Tippens Interiors

Tobi Fairley

Joe Minton Designs

Veranda

Ralph Lauren, Jamaica

Belclaire House

The Enchanted Home

Traditional Home, Joseph Minton

Do you long for a different color palate for your home?

I’m linking to The Pink Pagoda for her blue and white party…take a peek.

Its official…I have a blue and white room, at last

22 Wednesday Dec 2010

Posted by Karen B. in Decorating, Renovating

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

blue & white decor

Just in case you’re over the steady stream of holiday images (although, I confess, I rarely tire of Christmas images until around December 26th) I thought I would follow up with a post I have published some months ago regarding my love of blue and white rooms…

Not too many months ago I posted about how I had always wanted a blue and white room {HERE}. Many of you suggested that I “just do it” (in the words of Nike). Well, as luck would have it a good friend of mine remodeled her home and had decided that her guest room needed a king sized bed instead of the queen that it was furnished with. She asked if I’d like her ‘gently used’ duvet cover and pillow shams (the cover and shams were like new!).

I don't know the name of this pattern, but it's so pretty and has a linen-like texture which looks great with the off-white, PB iron headboard.

I jumped at the opportunity to take her up on her offer. Son #2 had just moved into a new apartment and the room was ready for a little face lift—especially one that wasn’t going to cost an arm and a leg. The existing quilt, a soft yellow and brown toile from Pottery Barn fit inside the blue and white duvet cover and I had a blue and white stripe fabric piece laying around that I could cover the little French chair with, as well as the 2 small accent pillows.

Part of the blue and white set was a table cloth out of the same fabric for a round pedestal table however the room is small and the nightstands that flank the bed work very well. So I decided to use the fabric from the table cloth to provide welting for the chair and for a flange on the small accent pillows that sit in front of each of the pillow shams.

This is the fabric that the old quilt was made of---in fact the quilt was a Pottery Barn toile.

You can see the stripe I am planning on putting on the accent pillows and chairs right after Christmas.

The walls are painted a taupe color by Behr called Toffee Crunch in an eggshell finish (to be honest, when the room was painted I was not really happy with the glossier finish of “eggshell” but I’ve learned to like it fine).

I had a frame in the garage that had been used in the dining room and it was a standard size so I bought a mirror for the frame and hung it on the long wall in that room. I believe when Son #1 and his lovely wife visit from Austin they will appreciate an extra mirror to use for make-up application (for D-I-L) or for getting dressed. I hung some blue and white plates on either side, just to tie in the blue and white theme.

My friend gave me 2 of the blue and white plates and the top 2 I purchased from a little antique barn in Napa Valley.

A dear friend knew I needed a dust ruffle (the existing one was pale yellow and ivory mini-check) and volunteered to make one for me for my birthday—thank you Gretchen, you can’t know how excited I am about this! So, after wishing for a blue and white room I finally have one.

Dreams do come true! 🙂