The quintessential guide to classic interior design, elegant entertaining & a genteel lifestyle.
(formerly Mummy's Monday Manners)
My “secret” color combination for kitchens!
A blue & white kitchen will stand the test of time! Photo Credit: Scheffer Interiors via Instagram.
What is my “secret” color combination for a charming, timeless, and tailored kitchen? It’s a “blue & white” color scheme! This traditional color combination has been around for centuries, so maybe it does not qualify as “my secret,” but more of my “tried and true'' color combination for a kitchen… and for other rooms too, for that matter!
Mummy convinced me to consider a blue & white scheme for the kitchen in my first “big-girl” house. I realize now that I did not truly appreciate her sage guidance at age 21… but, once again, her advice was merited! She drew from her well-earned experience: she encountered several rather unique interiors, whilst moving our family over 33 times internationally! Fortunately, I listened to her and adopted her blue & white suggestion for almost all of our houses.
The blue & white scheme also works well with yellows, greens, reds, and even pink accents. Almost any other happy color will compliment a blue & white room.
To me, the blue & white theme utilized in kitchens, and other interior spaces, adds an air of contentment and joy, similar to a bright blue sky adorned with enchanting, puffy white clouds… a joyful, welcomed sight! Even the blue & white images of interiors that I share on my Instagram garner enthusiastic likes and views from my followers.
This is our little sitting nook in the blue & white kitchen at Fox Hall. I commissioned an artist to paint our son, Stuart III, and requested that the color of his sweaters be a soft blue, knowing that it would always work well with the blue & white colors in our kitchen!
There is a universal appeal and charm of a blue & white color palette. Perhaps, one reason it remains an enduring color combination is because of its long history and staying power. It originated on pottery in China in the Tang dynasty 618-906. In the Yuan dynasty 1279-1368, the cobalt blue used on pottery and porcelains became even more vibrant. Blue & white porcelains arrived in Europe in the 16th century. In the 1850s, the British were simply charmed by the appeal of a blue & white scheme, which became quite fashionable. (And, of course, it served to brighten up their dark Victorian interiors!) Impressionist artists, such as Auguste Renoir, sprinkled blue & white porcelains into their works of art. The universal appeal and charm of blue & white in rooms, or on porcelains, continues and is a traditional, not trendy, choice.
From various hues of blue-painted kitchen cabinets to blue & white wallpaper, one just cannot go wrong with this choice! So, pass along this advice to a bride, a first-home owner, or someone designing a resort house. From my experience, it will serve them well.
Main and Market offers blue & white wall coverings with a fresh aesthetic to the designs.
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Holly
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Last week I featured the very talented Mara Sfara. She has been gracious enough to offer this lovely painting exclusively to my SLL subscribers and social media followers! The painting, Three Great White Egrets, is oil on linen and valued at $4,200. Click the button below to enter! We will be choosing our winner at random on Valentine's Day, 2/14/22. The winner will be announced shortly thereafter, once confirmed. Best of luck!