The Cool Blues and Greens of Summer

With summer warming up, let's get some relief by exploring the cool colors - blues and greens - while we inspire you to update your patio, deck, porch, or poolside! These colors are abundant in nature in all tones and shades. Do you know the key to making blue and green sing (or 'pop', if you prefer!)? Crisp whites - they can make a blue look classic and a green look fresh.

​Color inspiration from the outdoors

Wood tones will warm up those cool colors and give you an even different vibe. Dark wood can make your space look more refined and elegant. Light wood tones can give you that Scandinavian look or more rustic look depending on the amount of orange tones in the wood.

Direct inspiration from nature

Here's a tip on combining styles and color tones

Balance the elements in a space when you want to combine styles and color. Spread an element (such as color or texture) at least 3 times throughout the space so it doesn't look out of place and group items in odd numbers for the most pleasing look.

​Just the right tones of blues and greens create a playful mix in this sitting room that pulls off a traditional style with cottage and modern elements combined.

(Image credit: John Merkl. Design: Jon de la Cruz)

Traditional elements: molding on the walls, curvature on the floral chair and the delftware on the coffee table

Cottage elements: floral upholstery and the rug that looks like a grassy patio

Modern elements: straight lines in the coffee table and green chair as well as the bright intensity of the table and large floral pattern on the upholstered chair

Nature inspired wallpaper

Generally, the larger the pattern the more modern look you will get. These options give you so  many chances to pull out accent colors for the rest of the room. Side note - Don't let small areas like bathrooms make you think that wallpapering will be easy. It will definitely pack a punch aesthetically, but installing around a bunch of built-in fixtures might be something you just want to leave to the professionals!

Now let's explore the symbolism and meaning for these 2 cool colors - straight from AI (just keeping it transparent!)​

• Blue: Represents trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.
• Green: Symbolizes growth, harmony, and freshness, and is associated with safety, nature, and health.
• Blue-Green: Represents serenity, healing, renewal, and the nurturing qualities of water and Earth. 

Ready to shop?

Here is a link to a specially curated group of table top items you may want to add to your entertainment arsenal - Shop this list!
or if you prefer - this QR code will get you there, too.