Inspired by Color: Designing in the Hue of Blue

It's a mood that we prefer not to have and a genre of music that not everyone loves, but when it comes to color, blue ranks high on the popularity scale.

The color, which is associated with calming qualities and cooling sensations, was determined to be the favorite in all 17 countries included in a survey conducted by three global marketing firms, according to Cheskin, a United States-based consulting and marketing research firm.

If you are among these color fans and wouldn't mind going home to an abode with a bluesy theme, there are ways to make that happen without overdoing it.

Paint the House Blue

Whether you start with the walls in a rarely used spare bedroom or the always-occupied family room, it helps to remember that less is more, said Alene Workman, founder of Alene Workman Interior Design in Hollywood, Florida.

To get an idea of what it will look like, before committing to all four walls paint a 3-foot-wide, floor-to-ceiling swath on one wall, Workman suggested. When clients ask for blue walls, Workman usually tints a white base with hint of blue and gradually controls the intensity instead of starting with a darker blue paint, which can be overpowering and difficult to control.

When the choice is a stronger blue --- cobalt, for example, or navy --- Workman recommends moderation, using such colors as a trim instead of covering entire walls with them.

"All strong colors on walls creates a much stronger impact than might be realized beforehand," she said. "It's amazing how much impact a colored wall has in a room."

Homeowners who want to create a specific mood and have no doubt about committing to the color typically opt for a less intense version, said Mindy Miles Greenberg, founder of Encore Décor Interior Design of New York. In these cases, she often sees entire rooms with walls painted in the same tone of a calmer blue.

"It might be an aqua or sky blue, but due to the peaceful nature of this color, more of it is better than just highlights," Greenberg said.

Best Blue Climates

Although blue shades are versatile, they flourish in some climates better than in others. Here are settings where the hue can coordinate with or complement Mother Nature.

Tropics: A blue room that echoes the ocean does well in a tropical environment, said Mindy Miles Greenberg, founder of Encore Décor Interior Design of New York. "Blue as seen in water or the sky is most at home in peaceful, beachy, summer home types of tropical climates."

Waterfront: "If near water, the tones of blue from aqua to peacock blue or periwinkle are always refreshing. Think of the Hamptons and Miami Beach," said Alene Workman, owner of Alene Workman Interior Design of Hollywood, Florida.

Breathing space: The color can also provide respite in a hectic area with extreme or unforgiving climates. "It can often be a calming tone that makes those in the space feel calm and relaxed. It is a nice complement to the Zen-spa theme, since some blue tones that go to gray-beige keep the mood intact," Workman said.

Chilling out: Soft blue-greens or blue-grays work well in colder climates, Workman said. "When highlighted by a white or off-white, it creates contrast that gives any room a nice boldness. This blue tone has also a non-jarring effect in a colder climate and may feel comfortable for year-round."

Shady: Blue can perk up a home in a region that sees a lot of rain or very little sunshine, said Debra May Himes, founder of Debra May Himes Interior Designs and Associates of Chandler, Arizona. "In areas that are not as sunny all the time, pastel colors will probably work better than in areas with bright sunlight, because the sun tends to wash out colors."

Planning Your Blue Theme

The wide range of shades within the palette makes it easy to experiment with several of them throughout your home. Floor coverings, accessories and hardware are all fair game, but choosing shades that are either cool or warm, instead of mixing them, makes for the best look, said Debra May Himes, founder of Debra May Himes Interior Designs & Associates of Chandler, Arizona. For example, Himes would not advise combining a warm teal with a cool midnight blue.

When introducing the color throughout the home, Himes suggests, start on a smaller scale with pieces that won't overpower the rooms. Avoid, for example, putting a baby blue entertainment center in your country cottage, a sleek indigo sectional in your contemporary loft or royal blue wallpaper in your spacious colonial foyer.

Instead, consider comfy pillows and shams that play up the country vibe, a rug that complements --- rather than dominate --- a modern living room, and elegant window treatments that provide subtle sophistication.

"To commit to a strong color such as blue to use in furniture pieces or wall coverings will hold that homeowner hostage to that color palette," Himes said. "The homeowner will find that changing colors schemes --- or at least tweaking it a bit --- will be much less expensive and easier to do."

Workman has matched a custom rug with throw pillows in the same blue tone to introduce the hue as an accent color in a room. More subtle ways to accomplish this include artwork, painted woodwork accents, bedding or an upholstered headboard.

Ensuring that all the rooms connect is key to creating a flow so that the eye catches the coordination, Workman says.

"Often in an open plan, color should be consistent or have some relation to the adjoining areas," she said. "It can be done with subtlety so the color is not dominant, but the tone is repeated."

More Creative Ways to Bring in the Blues

If you want to take a bolder step and embrace your affection for the blues, making them the center of attention is a concept that can work in most areas where the surrounding shades and décor are neutral.

"I have used blue as an accent piece in furniture or as an upholstered chair in a room," Workman said. "They are used often as statement pieces and eye catchers when the rooms are neutral."

Another way to introduce blue in a less obvious manner is by putting it above eye level.

"A creative way to add blue to any room is to wallpaper the ceiling with a blue paper to look like a pretty sky," Greenberg said.

In the midst of color coordination, it's easy to forget about using interesting textures and fabrics and combining them with other colors. Have some fun with a mixed-media approach.

"Blues go great in a stripe with white and yellow, and in a linen fabric," Greenberg said.

Workman likes "soft blues that work well as textured wall coverings, like grass cloth or textured silk paper."

Easy blue fixes may be inspired by items you already own: Replace a lamp base, change out a picture frame or place a spray of blue flowers in a vase to add some pop.

With coordination and creativity, getting the home-sweet-home blues isn't a downer at all.