• John Wilson
• May 10,2022

Are you loving Pantone’s Color of the Year ? We’ve had about a week to reflect on the Classic Blue news, and as someone who’s really only ever lived a blue life—not sure I’ve had a bedspread that’s not blue and please don’t harass me for buying yet another blue sweater—I’m digging the pick. Blue is the best , simple as that. But don’t take my word for it. Let these seven living rooms that masterfully integrate blue into their design serve as proof that Classic Blue is a perfect hue to go big (or small) with—for 2020, sure, but also forevermore.

I’m not sure what’s better about this simple but vivid Buenos Aires living room : The striking blue wall that’s so beautiful by itself it doesn’t need any artwork on it or the way the ombré rug perfectly blends with the wall and brings even more shades of blue into the space. To offset the intensity of what’s almost a monochromatic room, the homeowner chose light colored textile and accessories. If you want to go with Classic Blue on all of your major surfaces, like your walls and floor, this is how to do it.

On the flip side, Classic Blue is great as an accent color, too. Every room in this Australian cottage house tour features airy white walls and gorgeous blue accents, but I’m particularly drawn to the living room. With its blue ticking stripe armchair, blue ginger jar vases, and a few gorgeous pops of pink, it’s the serene, pretty preppy space I dream of living in one day.

Classic? More like classy. Bold blue walls paired with large textural artwork and shiny brass accents make this Brooklyn rental a sleek and sophisticated yet still somehow cozy room. These homeowners are so on board with blue, they even used the blanket tuck hack on their sofa to add a little more of this color to their space.

Another classy looking living room! But in this space, I’m digging how the two velvet blue couches add a colorful touch of modernity to the otherwise ornate, vintage decor in this 1970s Utah family home . Mixing old and new is always a good idea when it comes to furnishings, and Classic Blue works as well on upholstery as it does on walls.

Hello, museum-worthy wall murals! This open plan family home in Maryland keeps things playful with tons of color and eclectic design elements like this pink-and-blue mural. I’m already sold, but would you look at those gorgeous blue chairs? They pull their Classic Blue-ish color from a painted blob on the wall and fit in beautifully here.

I’m evidently very here for the shiny gold and blue pairings (see above), but I’m also loving the way this NYC apartment owner used a similar color combo in her small, sunny space. It’s all there—mustard couch, huge blue rug, plush blue pillows—but it’s somehow still subtle and almost 1970s like in terms of the materials and silhouettes. White walls, tall undressed windows, and two white armchairs keep the room feeling open and airy on the whole.

I know I’ve established myself as a “the more blue, the better” person, but my favorite thing about this Montreal living room is the single blue armchair. It’s a strong anchor in an otherwise fairly white space that complements the bevy of eclectic objects, from rainbow-spined books to house plants, that are sprinkled throughout the space.