Over my years I’ve seen plenty of decorating trends come and go, but some looks are so classic and beautiful that they transcend time. Decorating with Antique Blue & White Pottery is one of those classics, homes decorated with blue and white look just as fabulous today as they did over a hundred years ago.
I’m crazy about unusual antique blue and white pottery like this amazing marbled foot bath from the shop. Pieces like this have so many uses, you can use it as a planter, you can utilize it as storage {magazines, wood next to the fireplace, rolled up towels in a bathroom. It’s what makes decorating with antique blue and white so easy and elegant, it goes with just about everything!
Decorating with Antique Blue & White Pottery
Blue and white antique pottery is the classic mainstay of both English and French design. I’ve recently cleared out some old issues of Veranda magazine, these room shots are taken by me directly from a really old issue.
Add a Pop of Blue and White by Itself
If you want to add just a pop of blue and white in a room, blue and white pottery is the perfect choice! Always sophisticated, one blue and white piece is a great addition to a casual or formal room. I love this little arrangement on the coffee table, one large antique blue and white bowl holds a green plant {which I think is actually rye grass!}, another is placed on the table for visual interest. The blue and white bowl is layered on top of a small stack of books, the top matches the lovely blue color.
Use Several Pieces Together for Dramatic Appeal
Since blue and white pottery comes in a variety of shapes and patterns, it’s easy to collect dissimilar but complimentary pieces and create a stunning display. The two large antique English platters that hang beside the clock in this hallway are not the same but complement each other beautifully. The large foot-bath steals the show with those white flowers, it’s flanked by an antique pitcher and small footed compote. This arrangement packs a powerful visual punch.
Bring it Outdoors
I love bringing the beauty, history and classic good looks of antique blue and white pottery to the outdoors! See how blue and white looks good with any other colors? For this outside serving table, the bright pops of yellow, green and blue are an inspired backdrop for the antique blue and white marbled foot-bath used as a champagne cooler.
Decorate a Table in White and Blue
If you’ve read my blog for a while, you’ll know this kind of blue and white is my love language! Blue and white looks beautiful on your table no matter what the season. It goes perfectly with almost every other color you want to pair it with, too. Appropriate for any time of year or mood, blue and white can go from fresh to moody in look, casual to elegant. This first table, set for dining al fresco in our back garden, utilizes antique blue and white platters and plates together with antique French ticking and white ironstone for a casual entertaining look.
Antique flow blue plates are layered on an antique French linen sheet and paired with neutral napkins for a warmer, slightly more elegant table setting in late summer.
Blue and white decor is iconic! It’s the most popular color choice and no wonder.
What is your favorite way to use this iconic color? Share in the comments below how you decorate with blue and white at home.
A BIENTOT
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Welcome to our back room.
Love blue & white for decoration with a pop of yellow,that really stands out. For example a gorgeous blue & white bowl with lemons.
You’re so right, Anja, a blue and white bowl with that yellow lemon color brings beauty and life to every room!
Blue and white, my favorite way to add a bright spot to any room. The favorite way I used blue and white was in a small cottage bedroom up a little stair case. Wallpaper in a beautiful blue and white covered the walls. I used an old iron bed painted white and covered in a white Martha Washington bedspread. I put a Blue and white chaise and white batiste curtains at the windows. White bedside tables. It was a lovely room and I loved going to sleep there and waking up with the sun shining in.
Alice, that room sounds not only lovely but heavenly calming and restful, too. I would love to spend the night there!
The blue and white with a bit of fresh, apple green. So lovely!
One of my favorites too, Mary Anna! Blue and white looks so good with almost any color!
Lidy, you know I adore blue and white! You are spot on about it being classic and never going out of style. I have used it in my home since I was a young bride, and I have never grown tired of it. In fact, I am still collecting blue and white pieces from flow blue to chinoiserie pieces. It all blends together perfectly! You have shared so many gorgeous photos with us today. I am swooning over every display, and that marbled foot bath is stunning! Have a wonderful day, sweet friend!
Your home showcases your love for blue and white so beautifully Shannon! Always classic, always elegant and welcoming. xo
Lidy – Blue and white never fails. I have collected pieces of blue and white china for years, mostly plates, platters and pitchers, and added reproduction temple jars and larger vases. I think it all works, often like a neutral when you add greenery, fruit or other accents.
Janet, I agree! It all works beautifully!
Oh, the beauty of blue and white! Thank you for sharing such beautiful pictures of ways to decorate with it! You are a treasure!
I love Blue and White, I have it in my 1830 parlor, my kitchen and my bed and breakfast by placing porcelain, fabrics, lamps, glass wear and of course seasonal decorations, ribbon and anything else I can find. Love all your post!