Blue and White Accessories in Traditional Home Decor

Today, the popularity of blue and white accessories in a chinoiserie style has exploded. Fortunately, it is a classic home accessory that will never go out of style. I found the perfect example of how to use blue and white accessories in a traditional home.

Depending on the age and the quality, blue and white accessories can be found in all price points. You can find chinoiserie everywhere – in vases, lamps, dishes, platters, cachepots, and fabric.

While searching for examples of how to use blue and white accessories in home decor, I came across one of my favorite posts – one of my own. I knew it was time to showcase this beautiful home again.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting my neighbor Julie’s home. Julie lives two doors up the street from Sweet Shark and me. When I walked into her entry and glanced into the dining room, she had me at hello.

I immediately saw that Julie had a fabulous collection of blue and white chinoiserie. From the entry to the dining room, living room and den, blue and white accessories are the focal point of every room in her beautiful traditional home.

I knew readers would love to see how Julie has used blue-and-white accessories in her home. It’s also obvious that she loves decorating in a traditional style. So I asked her if I could photograph her home. You will love this home tour  

A Mini-Lesson on Chinoiserie

Before I show you all the pretty blue-and-white accessories in Julie’s home, let’s review what chinoiserie is, since most of her blue and white elements fall into that motif.

Chinoiserie is a European artistic style from the 17th and 18th centuries. It has a playful vibe that imitates and interprets Chinese and East Asian decorative arts. It features whimsical, romanticized scenes of pagodas, exotic birds, and flowers, with delicate motifs. Chinoiserie can be applied to items, such as wallpaper, fabric, linens, porcelain, and furniture, blending Asian themes with European luxury for a timeless, elegant feel.

Chinoiserie evokes a sense of fantasy, joy, and exoticism, offering a dreamy escape from the commonplace. As you might have guessed, chinoiserie often features soft pastels, vibrant jewel tones, and the iconic blue-and-white porcelain palette.

Its timeless elegance and ability to blend with various decor styles keep it relevant in modern design, where it often appears as a decorative accent, either alone or in a group.

It is chinoiserie’s timeless elegance and ability to blend with various decor styles that keep it relevant in modern design. Different iconic shapes have secured its place as statement decorative accent pieces.

My History with Chinoiserie

I am late to the chinoiserie parade. Although I have always loved blue and white, I’ve never had any chinoiserie of my own. I learned that chinoiserie doesn’t have to be old or expensive to create the lovely design I wanted.

I bought my first blue and white chinoiserie vases at AtHome. They were only $39 each. I used one in our spring bedroom and one on a spring tablescape.

I made a chinoiserie-style lamp using the decoupage technique.

As I became more aware of chinoiserie, I looked for it at estate sales and antique malls. This chinoiserie-style vintage foot bath makes the perfect container for flowers. The chinoiserie objects d’art prints are from Etsy.

I even used a chinoiserie theme to decoupage containers for topiaries. You can see more of my collection in the background on our vassilier. Even the runner has a chinoiserie motif.

Traditional Home with Blue and White Accessories

My nods to chinoiserie are a drop in the blue-and-white home decor accessory bucket. Wait until you see all the beautiful blue-and-white accessories in Julie’s home.

As it turns out, Julie has been collecting chinoiserie since she graduated from college. A native of Northwest Missouri, she learned from her mother, who was an avid collector. Many of the pieces in Julie’s home originally belonged to her mom.

Entry and Dining Room

Not only did Julie’s blue and white chinoiserie attract my attention, but she obviously loves to decorate with blue and white.

As soon as you walk into Julie’s home, you feel so welcomed. As we chatted, she told me about her lifelong love of collecting. You immediately can see that she has a talent for home decor.

A beautiful chest is decorated with several pieces of chinoiserie. A quartet of botanical prints provides the backdrop.

The beautiful chinoiserie vase, jar, platter, and lamp set the color scheme for the whole house. The faux stems reflect the floral art in the gold frames.

To the right of the entry is the dining room. A beautiful table provides a place for a gorgeous, large bowl and an orchid. The upholstered chairs in a yellow patterned fabric complement all the other blue accessories.

A trio of blue and white platters on the sideboard brings your eye into the sun-filled room.

Julie and her husband Bill, who is a very sweet guy, love art and you can see examples of it throughout their traditional home.

NOTE: You’ll notice that Julie often groups items of three or more to create a vignette for more impact. At other times, a single larger element serves as a strong focal point. She definitely uses proven design principles throughout her home. (Be sure to get your FREE PRINTABLE Proven Design Principles Checklist below).

One large blue and white bowl filled with white orchids serves as a strong focal point on the dining room table.

On the back wall of the dining room, a console table provides another spot to display blue and white accessories and art. The opening to the left leads through a butler’s pantry to the kitchen.

Although most of the furniture is traditional, much of the art has a modern feel, providing plenty of pops of color and vitality to the home..

The butler’s pantry, which leads from the dining room to the kitchen, is full of dishes and serving pieces that Julie inherited from her mother or purchased at antique shops in Missouri. Here’s just a sample.

One plate in a muted pattern is a special piece.

Living Room and Den in Blue and White

As you pass through the entry and the open staircase, you enter the formal living room. Two white sofas flank a coffee table. You’ll notice more blue and white accessories, including pillows, lamps, and figurines.

Julie loves detail, and you can tell from the trim on the pillows and the blue-patterned chairs. Green plants add a natural element to the room. The large painting is reminiscent of a Monet painting.

I love the trim on this little lumbar pillow.

The large square table between the sofa and the blue chair was made by Bill’s grandfather. I love the floral pattern on the lamp and the sweet blue Herend bunnies. Notice the pretty trim on the blue pillow and the lamp shade. It’s details like this that give depth to any home accessory.

A small side table shows off a beautiful vase with faux peonies and another Herend bunny.

On the opposite wall, behind the other sofa, is another colorful, modern piece of art.

This beautiful chest has been in Bill’s family since 1910. It’s another place to display more of Julie’s collection of blue porcelain pieces.

Let’s move into the adjoining family room. A sofa and comfy chairs surround the fireplace (which, somehow, I did not photograph). Another chinoiserie lamp pairs with a pot on the side tables.

Although this home is very open, Julie has plenty of wall space to display more artwork, blue pillows, and flowers.

A console table on the window wall is another place to display more chinoiserie and flowers.

Blue Accessories in the Kitchen and Breakfast Room

Adjacent to the family room is the breakfast room, which receives lots of sunlight. A round table for casual meals always has fresh or faux flowers. A banquet under the window is a place for some vintage pieces.

I love this small lamp with the chinoiserie base. As you can see, Julie’s kitchen has white tile and white cabinets.

I really like the tall shelf above the sink for displaying whatever strikes your fancy. For summer, a watermelon plate and a topiary. Aren’t the little white pitchers sweet?

Blue and White Master Bedroom

Julie and Bill’s master bedroom is a large and relaxing area. The focal point is the beautiful 4-poster bed. The walls are painted a soft powder blue. The white matelassé is a wonderful backdrop for a grouping of colorful pillows.

An Americana-style print above the bed adds another pop of color to the room’s soft palette. The art picks up the pink in the pillows’ floral pattern.

Floral lamps flank the bed on both nightstands. Julie’s linens have a lovely blue trim and flower motif.

In the seating area, two comfortable blue chairs flank another console table. This is a great place to display family pictures.

Having a consistent style and color scheme throughout Julie’s traditional home creates a calm, comforting, and warm environment. It’s perfect for everyday living and entertaining.

I hope that you enjoyed this traditional home tour with blue and white accessories throughout. It truly is such a lovely interpretation of using one color throughout a home. If you love decorating with blue and white, you should have plenty of inspiration.

Want more ideas for using blue and white in your home? Check out this Pinterest Board dedicated to this most beautiful of colors:Blue Home Design.

Don’t go away without checking these ideas for decorating with blue home decor and DIY projects.

Don’t forget to PIN this post to your home decor boards.