Blue Rooms

In theory, we all know how to paint a room. Dip a brush or roller in a color and spread it over the wall. But painting neatly and efficiently is a skill most of us could brush up on. We have a basic guide to the essential tips and techniques to get the job done.

The gentle progression of color in ombre suggests the transition from wakefulness to slumber, especially in soothing shades of blue. The headboard slipcover and matching pillowcases are shrouded in sky-blue linen that's dyed a deeper, sea-inspired tone, embodying the spare beauty of a monochromatic palette.

Tin containers have been manufactured in a very cool color of Wedgwood jasperware. For display on a neoclassic sideboard, we've chosen grays, blues, and greens. Symmetrically arranged with eighteenth-century formality, stacks of the circular "Wedgwood" tins can be used for storage. On the wall, a row of lids is displayed like a collection of antique plates or prints.

Suspended from wooden pegs tipped with 1940s tin tiebacks is a bevy of covered tin pails from the 1950s and '60s, some lithographed with scenes or birds, a la hand-painted Continental porcelains, others with bouquets or all-over prints.

In a rustic family room, built-in bookcases hold art books, children's books, and novels -- a whole family's worth of interests. To maximize storage, a 4-inch-high, 5-inch-deep wooden step was built; the shelf holds two rows of books, and all are visible. The tilted top shelves display covers; the molding lip supporting the books matches molding on the middle shelf. The inside of shelves can be boldly painted or wallpapered; only a fraction of color is seen. Ours are lined in colonial-blue book cloth, found in bookbinding supply stores.

Get the look with Martha Stewart Living Paint Color in Twilight (bookshelves) and Cobblestone (walls) at the Home Depot. 

Order a Tester of Twilight

Order a Tester of Cobblestone

It's easier than you think to conjure a refreshingly imaginative bedroom. By selecting hues that not only make you smile but also enhance the mood and setting of the rest of your house, you can design a bedroom that is tranquil yet still has plenty of panache.

Bring the translucent waters of some tropic island into your living room. This curtain divider not only provides functionality to limited space, but also is serene and calming like that from which it draws inspiration.

Whether you live on the West Coast, East Coast, or miles away from the ocean, bring all the colors of the water right to your backyard. Potted plants look even nicer in containers with hues of sea blue.

We dressed this ottoman in two blue ginghams: large and small check. The tailored slipcover, with piping around the top and an ever-so-slightly flared skirt, gains a little whimsy from ball fringe inserted between the fabrics.

1. A sedate fabric headboard is easily dressed up by attaching a wide edging of cotton-linen tape trim with fabric glue. 2. There's no need to buy a whole new set of linens to vary the vibe in a bedroom. A few deep-colored items, such as pillowcases and accent pillows, provide a soft foil to crisp white sheets and a coverlet. 3. To amplify a side table, slip a patterned wallpaper under glass. This project works best with tray tables or furniture with a raised perimeter or lip. 4. When embellished with a tape trim that coordinates with the headboard, a bed skirt acquires a finished, inviting look.

This homeowner stuck to subdued hues throughout the house -- her only exception was the kitchen.

Linens are tucked away in an antique cabinet, with glass doors that were painted the same blue as the doors in the house.

This velvet settee between two rooms is where this family kicks back while Mom cooks. The Binth "Cuddle" pillows are designed to appeal to both children and adults. 

A lichen-colored sofa is paired with pale robin's-egg-blue walls for a calming color combination.

A bright wall hanging provides a burst of color on pale walls.

The second-floor landing of this home features a large baroque cabinet from Sweden, which retains its original paint. 

Get the look with Martha Stewart Living Paint Color in Love-in-a-Mist at the Home Depot. 

Order a Tester of Love-in-a-Mist

A graphic damask fabric was used for the floor-to-ceiling curtains in this living area. The rug is by British designer Neisha Crosland, and the slipper chairs are antiques.

This guest bedroom, which overlooks Central Park, is covered in a charming butterfly-and-bird-patterned wallpaper. The coverlet matches the pale-blue ceiling, and the bed skirt was copied from a decorative template published in the September 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Living.

Add an element of surprise to a staircase with a painted pattern.

A pair of clamshell pendants started out as table lamps, but wires were snaked through the bases and the pendants were hung upside-down. The paint in this living room was also customized, adding a water-based polyurethane top coat to get a mirrorlike finish that reflects the ocean. 

When designing around a signature item, such as this sofa, let color unify the look. Use a hue that is similar but a few shades lighter or darker than the color on the walls.

To create a varied yet coordinated look in a sunroom, upholster cushions in a striped fabric, and then cut sections from the same cloth and sew them onto white pillows. A pleated taffeta lampshade echoes the pattern.

Repeating two bright colors unifies the varied look of this bed, and the bedroom overall.

You don't need museum-worthy pieces to create an arresting composition when you place them on a wall painted a powerful color.

Think about diversity when working with lavish tones, strategically placing brighter pieces throughout to avoid overwhelming a space.

The high-seas blue of a 1940s school map charted the start of this bedroom palette.

A Swedish daybed is upholstered in velvet, revealing the homeowner's love of watery colors.

Collections of Delft tiles and transferware plates bring together a range of blues and patterns.

This bedroom illustrates how blue can be used in a fresh, clean, American way, mixed with white linens and light woods to evoke breeze-blown New England seaside cottages. An antique spool bed painted white and laid with a pure white spread has blue floral pillow shams. Behind the bed, a blue botanical cyanotype is framed in white, suspended on a medium blue ribbon. The ceiling is painted sky blue for a feeling of being up in the clouds.

Blue is a cool color to not only use in a main color palette for your home, but also in decorations and accent colors. Find out 10 ways to use the color blue in your home decor to elevate the cool tones and hues.