This fall I was pleased to see classic blues return to the pages of shelter magazines and in the collections I saw in Paris at Maison et Objet. As a child I collected blue willow china, and I still have a soft spot for any blue and white plates.
These new blue and white references show that artists and designers are finding new ways to show off a palette that has been tried and true for centuries. I’m excited to see graphic, painterly, and watercolor versions of blue flowers showing up in textiles, and bold blue and white geometric patterns for wallpapers, fabrics, flooring and ceramics. Little touches of purple or turquoise make it appear current.
Blue and white is easy to decorate and live with. I’m glad it’s surfaced again in trends.
Photo credits, from top left clockwise: Christopher Baker for Country Living; Studio Ditte; Nick Pope for Easy Living; Bluebell Gray; Home & Garden UK, November 2012 issue.
When my in-laws built their reproduction colonial house in 1966 they used Delft tile in many of the built-in cabinets as well as the kitchen back splash and bay window sills. Delft wasn’t as popular then as 1966 was a time of avocado and gold and brown. The tiles are all through the house. My mother-in-law then complemented the colors by collecting cobalt glass and blue spongeware pottery. Now as they consider selling the house (my father-in-law is 84) they wonder if they can remove the tiles… I think they’ll stay. The spongeware is slowly making its way to my house, which means my wife, who has grown up with blue and white, will continue to live with it, and living with it is much easier than living with avocado and gold….
Thanks for the wonderful post. Made my morning.
This story makes me so so happy, David. I love this story. And I so hope they preserve those tiles for another family to enjoy. What a treasure. And now you enjoy the legacy of the spongeware.
Blue and white are two of my favorite colors in my palette for painting.. that and soft grays.. Have a very Merry Christmas, Sue!! xxx
Gorgeous, as ever. I wish the same could be said for Autumn clothes. I just can’t wear the colours in the shops this season.
Blue and white are my favorite. I’m working on another blue and white quilt in my head. Hopefully some day I’ll get around to making it!