Colour your home blue

Blues and green are a perfect match. By adding some texture to the pairing like velvet gives it added luxe. Depending on the hue, blues and greens can be quite dark, especially in smaller rooms. Counteract this by adding large mirrors to open up the scheme.

Blue is such a versatile colour and combined with bare bricks it will add a Mediterranean-style warmth. Paint window frames and wood beams in an electric shade of blue and complete with a steal bed frame and layers of patterned bed linen (try Toast’s Chirali bed spread) to perfect the shabby chic look.

A bright shade during the day and a moody hue at night, this blue hue (otherwise known as Stiffkey Blue) from Farrow and Ball is smart, sophisticated and the perfect shade for living rooms or home offices.

Investing in a set of deep blue plates like these, give your kitchen and dining room a unifiedly, striking and beautifully vibrant look. For added oomph, keep blue plates as chargers to patterned ones.

Given the right hue, blue can give kitchens a clean, fresh finish. Keep window frames, worktops and dining tables white to keep the space feeling airy, while opting for steel kitchen cabinets (try Ikea’s new Metod range) will help bounce light into the room.

Bed linen can completely change the look and feel of your room, making it a great option for a quick and easy update. The bold blue and white patterned bed linen will give a fresh, Mediterranean vibe especially when set against yellow walls and a copper clad nightstand.

Balance retro cool with contemporary lines for a relaxing living room haven. Invest in design classics, such as this modern day reproduction of Charles Eames’ iconic pop-art seat and a Scandi-style low armchair, and mix with a cool blue and white geometric print rug and sea blue walls.

Wallpaper is an easy way to bring colour and pattern into your home, so don’t just keep it for bedrooms and living rooms. Damask designs will make an instant statement and here the blue and white colour combination can be used to soften the navy blue freestanding bath.

All white living rooms are perfect for feeling calm and a good place to get work done in, but adding a splash of colour will inspire you and lift your spirits. Blue room décor doesn’t have to overpower the space – here just a hit of blue in the blinds is one of those design ideas for living rooms that stops the space looking too minimalist.

As a backdrop, dark blue paint is the sort of shade that almost any colour can sing in front of. Here, the contrast of the blue and white room means the storage unit and ornaments really stand out, and dark blue painted rooms always help make everything else look more expensive as a result.

One of the best paint ideas is to go for contrast – a bright wall next to a pale wall is always dramatically pleasing. This perfect example of a blue and white living room, as sunny and fresh as can be, shows the power a simple wall of turquoise can project. Mix in blue accessories for a vibe that is all about the summer sky.

Even if you’ve gone for an all white living room background, you can still add in hits of blue with rugs and statement armchairs. Play with the palette – mixing turquoise with navy with royal blue can feel very fun and fresh.

When decorating blue rooms, think about what effect you’re trying to create. As this light blue room shows, a soft shade can be as soothing and refreshing as a Spring day, and a blue and white bedroom is perfect to wake to up each morning. Team with white accessories and floral bedspread for a beautiful contemporary country bedroom.

Damask wallpapers make an instant design statement, and the traditional pattern can be brought right up to date. Blue and white wallpaper is a chic colour combination and can be used to soften a navy blue painted rooms.

We all dream about a contemporary country kitchen, and it’s a look that isn’t that difficult to achieve – all you need is light and space. Here the duck egg blue dining table stops the white walls from looking stark, and has the feel of being the calmest place to eat breakfast ever.

Blue and white bedrooms can look a bit more masculine with the addition of grey – a grey armchair lends an air of the gentleman’s club to any room. Adding a blue bedspread implies a chic, American country casual feel – and looks good even when unmade.

Mixing whites and honey wood tones with blue accessories will create a fresh and airy home office space. Giving a clean finish (even without a full-on colour scheme), add a sprinkling of retro accessories, including an anglepoise lamp and traditional filing cabinet – perfect for storing paperwork in to create a tidy space to work in.

Blue is a powerful hue for bed linen which will give bedrooms a clean, fresh finish when set against rustic white painted wood panelled walls. Add a retro touch with an oversized steel bed frame – perfect for small rooms where a solid headboard would overwhelm the space.

Let the colours of the ocean roll into your bathroom and evoke a calming, coastal retreat with sea blues and crisp whites. Epitomise beach hut chic with rustic storage ladders, white fringed towels, and country style accessories.