Every home needs a blue brush stroke

Every home needs a blue brush stroke, here's why by Guest Editor - Jessica Taverner, Style & Interiors Editor for House Beautiful.

If one thing's for sure this year, it's that shades of blue are having their moment - and a major one at that. The timelessness and versatility of this colour mean it's easy to seamlessly mix and match with other hues. What's even better: there are infinite opportunities for the home decorating projects, thanks to an abundance of tempting tones in Benjamin Moore's colour palette. Here's how to ride this colour wave into your home and make a splash in oceanic hues.

1. Form a tempting tonal scheme

Choosing a colour for one of the most expensive rooms in the house can be a challenge. But why restrict yourself to one, when you can have two? Blues often look their best when they're in great company, so opt for a tonal scheme to add a double dose of cool. Paint cabinetry a few shades darker than your wall colour to showcase hues of blues in their glory. Introducing natural elements is a great way to warm up a room and wooden worktops do the job brilliantly, bringing a touch of natural beauty that will stand the test of time.

2. Help lift neutrals

In a workspace dedicated to concentration, pattern and bold brights can be overwhelming, this where a large-scale stripe of calming colour can come in handy. Team with other strong directional lines in a mix of warm and cool shades ' earthy pigments and sea hues are a perfectly balanced pairing that prove opposites work well together. A tight palette of three of four colours will help you achieve a coherent look.

3. Achieve bedroom bliss

Colour blocking is one of the most successful tools to create a clear divide within a room. The best way to achieve individual pockets is to wrap the entire zone in full colour ' including walls, ceiling and textiles. It's much easier to find a paint colour to match with a fabric than vice versa, so use bedding as the starting place from which to build on the rest of the scheme. Here, shades reminiscent of the sea and sky evoke a relaxing and restful ambiance whilst a primary pop of yellow adds an exciting punch.

4. Create depth

One for the minimalists: if you feel there is something missing from a scheme but don't want to pile on the pattern or fill the floor with rugs, it might just be that the ceiling needs a lick of blue. When decorating the fifth wall you don't have to be particularly daring or attention-grabbing with your colour choices. By taking your cue from the natural world you can mimic some of the feel-good elements in nature ' think pale skies on a summer's day. Keep the rest of the walls neutral, to help even the slightest tint elevate the entire room on an easy-to-live-with scale.

5. Lift the mood

Want to add colourful character to your kid's playroom but not quite ready to dive deep into standout saturated shades? Clever colour blocking gives you the freedom to add punchy doses of vivid brights in a controlled and bespoke way. Bring instant fun to a small space with abstract painted wall shapes that overlap on to woodwork and ceiling. A block of colour teamed with random splatters of soft blues and pinks, is a brilliant way to make children feel like they have a playful world of their own. Large areas of white and grey provide much-needed visual breaks, slightly reducing the intensity of jolly hues. 

6. Add everlasting decorating appeal

Dip your toe in the proverbial ocean of colour by introducing a tranquil dose of coastal blue to your outdoor seating area. Of course, you don't have to go all-over with this aquatic shade. A splash in the form of paint can be enough to create an oasis of calm all year round. Keep the rest of the look neutral with stone tiles and grey furniture to ensure bursts of blue remain undiluted and emerge as a key player.