Neutral and soothing, the blue color gives the room lightness and expands the space. It fits most rooms and is not annoying or boring. By choosing the right texture and wallpaper pattern, you can make the walls the main decoration of your home.
Blue wallpaper is one of the most sought-after finishing options. The choice of shades allows you to choose a tone with any mood – from carefree and romantic turquoise to solemn “royal light blue” or thoughtful and melancholic gray-blue. Any patterns look good in the celestial palette: geometric shapes, floral motifs, ornaments, as well as natural textures such as marble, stone, etc. And the variety of surfaces of such a coating (smooth, textured, embossed, matte, with mother-of-pearl or shine) makes it possible to implement any design ideas.
Color Features
The azure palette appeals to most people. It evokes pleasant associations and soothes you because it is a range of sunny summer skies, beautiful weather, and endless water surface.
It is easy and pleasant to look at blue walls, they do not irritate (provided that a subtle color is chosen) and do not provoke aggression or negativity. On the contrary, it is easier to calm down and focus on your thoughts when surrounded by such colors. At the same time, depending on the tone, the psychological impact can be quite different: rich options with warm shades set you up for creativity and cheer you up, faded ones promote relaxation and meditation, bluish and hyacinth ones do not distract and help you concentrate on work or study. When choosing blue wallpaper for the walls, you need to take into account these features.
Also, this color symbolizes freshness, innocence, sincerity, and in some cases even naivety (this applies primarily to pure shades without an admixture of extraneous tones). On the other hand, it often serves to describe something ideal, almost unattainable – it is not for nothing that there is an expression “blue dream” – so the interior in such colors looks sublime and festive.
Light blue colors can also have a noticeable effect on the body: they lower body temperature and blood pressure, reduce muscle activity, and slow down the pulse. A person’s movements become smoother and more precise, and thoughts become clear and complete. Blue-grey wallpaper is indispensable in the bedroom, where complete relaxation and stress relief are required: such walls instantly reduce nervous tension.
Pros and Cons
The blue palette has many advantages and almost no disadvantages.
Pros
- Light versions of the color visually enlarge the space, “adding” extra meters and filling it with air.
- It is easy to match the rest of the finish to blue wallpaper – almost all parts of the spectrum go well with it.
- Pastel variations of blue cool the room, so it is good to use them in rooms facing south, then the room will not feel hot and stuffy even in the height of summer.
- Shades with gray undertones look elegant and noble, which makes the interior more sophisticated.
- Thanks to its calming effect, light blue wallpaper relieves stress and sets you in a friendly mood: in the bedroom in such colors, it is easy to fall asleep, there are no quarrels in the living room, and in the nursery, children do not quarrel with each other.
Cons
- The cool shades of this color make the environment too soulless and sterile, like in the halls of the Snow Queen.
- Decoration made entirely in this palette looks flat and boring, even if different tones are used, so it is recommended to add other colors.
- Some versions of blue look too catchy and provocative (cyan, electric, azure), and they are used only in the children’s room in small quantities, and for the rest of the rooms, more austere and “adult” colors are selected.
How to choose
By material
When you need a beautiful blue wallpaper, the first step is to decide what material it will be made of.
There are several types of wall coverings, each designed for a specific purpose and has both advantages and disadvantages.
| Name | Material | Destination | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper | Paper. | All rooms except the bathroom. | Low price, a large selection of shades and patterns, environmental friendliness, breathability. | They are short-lived, easily damaged, and fade under the sun. |
| Vinyl | The backing is made of paper or non-woven fabric with a PVC coating. | Kitchen, bathroom, hallway. | Durability, moisture resistance (washable), interesting choice of designs, durability. | Difficulty in gluing due to heavy weight, airtightness, emit (in small quantities) harmful substances. |
| Non-woven | Textile or cellulose non-woven fabric. | Living room, bedroom. | Embossed structure (hides unevenness of the wall), moisture resistance, the possibility of pasting for painting, strength and durability, air permeability. | The high price, the complexity of cleaning (dust and dirt can accumulate on the protruding elements), are easily damaged. |
| Textile | Natural fabrics on a paper or synthetic basis. | Living room, bedroom, children’s room. | Eco-friendly, durable, exquisite look. | High price, difficulty in gluing, absorb odors. |
| Liquid | A mixture of cellulose, glue, textile fibers and decorative elements. | All rooms except the bathroom. | Air permeability, ease of application, elasticity (when shrinking, the walls will not tear with slight distortions), ease of restoration in case of damage. | Difficulty in care (they accumulate dust due to the relief structure), the impossibility of creating complex images and prints with small details. |
| Glass wallpaper | A canvas made of glass threads. | All rooms, including the bathroom. Especially suitable for families with children and pets. | Eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, paintable (up to 10 times), durability and resistance to damage, fungus and mold. | They require perfectly flat walls, a high price, and the complexity of gluing and dismantling. |
| Seamless (frescoes) | A non-woven fabric coated with a thin layer of plaster, on which any image can be applied. | Living room, bedroom, children’s room, bathroom. | There are no joints and seams (made to the size of the wall), an unusual look. | The price is high, they require perfectly flat walls and absolute parallelism of the ceiling and floor. |
Light blue looks different on each material. On paper, it will be matte and more faded, and vinyl or non-woven blue wallpaper looks brighter and more interesting due to its voluminous texture and soft shine; Fabric or liquid ones will make the color heterogeneous due to their embossed texture. If you can’t find a suitable shade, choose glass wallpaper – it can be painted in absolutely any tone, and when you get tired of it, just repaint it. On frescoes, you can embody any fantasy: transfer a famous photograph or a picture drawn by an artist, or even your own creation to them.
By design
Neither paint nor decorative plaster has such a variety of designs as wallpaper. In many ways, it is for this feature that they are appreciated: with them, you can create any interior (if the desired pattern is not available, it can be created by individual order).
Plain
Such wallpapers only seem banal, in fact, in many cases it is the best choice.
It is easier to match one shade to the rest of the interior than a combination of several tones: you do not have to think about which curtains blue wallpaper goes better with, and then painfully choose the right carpet, furniture, etc. Monochrome is quite consistent with fashion trends (in minimalism, high-tech, loft, scandi, and Japandi styles, walls without a pattern are preferred), and when gluing You don’t have to monitor the coincidence of the pattern at the joints. However, with this choice, you should provide bright accents in the room, otherwise, the eye will constantly slide along the walls in search of contrasting details, which quickly becomes tiring.
Patterned
This is the widest category because images on wallpaper can be small and large, contrasting and tone-on-tone, as well as completely different topics.
Geometric shapes are suitable for a minimalist design, monogram or flower compositions are suitable for a classic living room, floral motifs are suitable for Provence or country. Symmetrical patterns are soothing and balanced, which, in combination with the blue palette, produces the most relaxing effect.
Stripes are relevant in any modern interior, including loft and Japandi. Abstract art is suitable for the bathroom, kitchen, or place where you receive guests, but in the bedroom, study, or nursery it will be annoying. The exception is wallpaper-frescoes, which are made on one wall, surrounding them with the most monotonous decoration around.
Imitation
Having seen photos of blue wallpaper imitating marble or stones (including precious ones), it is difficult to believe that they are not real – modern technologies allow you to make the most realistic prints.
The trend is to imitate only natural materials: you should not choose a pattern that repeats brickwork or resembles a concrete wall. On the other hand, you can replace natural fabric coverings with a replica that looks and feels no different from coarse linen, neat jute or smooth silk. One wall will be enough, it is easy to go overboard and go into the anti-trend with imitations.
Background
Such wallpapers stand apart, as they can be plain, with a discreet pattern, or with an imitation of fabric, stone, bamboo canvas, etc.
They are used as a base, which should serve as a neutral “substrate” for other elements of the interior, art objects, etc. Against their background, everything in the room – furniture, textiles, décor – will look more expressive and will not be lost.
What shades are combined with blue wallpaper
With achromats
The celestial palette goes well with white and gray, but you should be careful with black, as it may be too contrasting for a light blue palette.
White and gray tones can either be part of the pattern on blue wallpaper or be present in the rest of the interior. So, for example, silver-pearl curtains go well with blue wallpaper with a white pattern. But such combinations can be too cold and monotonous, so warm accents should be added to them.
With white and blue wallpaper, the room becomes more spacious and festive, light blue colors in combination with ash-slate tones give the decoration conciseness and nobility, with black color – make the atmosphere bold and modern.
With metals
The azure palette is one of the few that is not only combined with gold and silver, but also makes them more aristocratic, muting their flashiness and making them less pompous. At the same time, metallic shades can be both on the wallpaper itself and in the interior (in the form of fittings, parts of furniture or lamps, etc.).
The duet with noble metals is considered a timeless classic, so it will be a good choice for all traditional styles. However, forget-me-not tones in the company of gold or bronze glitter may not be appropriate in minimalism, loft, high-tech or Scandinavian design.
With Spectrum Colors
The blue palette is universal — all pastel shades from neutral beige to cheerful light lemon and faded orange are successfully combined with it. Combinations with pale pink, lilac and cream are considered win-win.
From the dark palette, purple, rich blue, and brown will make friends with celestial tones. Moreover, they can be combined with each other: blue wallpaper will successfully complement dark wooden furniture, and purple curtains and a classic leather set will emphasize the sophistication of hyacinth walls.
Among the bright shades, not all paints are ready to make a worthy company with denim and cornflower blue colors: for a rich juicy accent, you should choose complex tones – terracotta, peach, saffron, khaki, etc.
In which rooms to use
Blue wallpaper in the interior is one of the best options for a children’s room or bedroom, an interesting solution for the living room and a practical choice for other rooms. There are no strict restrictions for them, as, for example, for bright red or orange flowers. It’s hard to imagine a part of the house where light blue shades would be completely out of place.
- Pure versions of dull blue are suitable mainly for the baby’s room, in other cases it is better to take complex, multifaceted colors with the addition of gray, white, green, lilac, etc. The more original the color, the more self-sufficient it is: even if you use it on all walls, without diluting it with other colors and patterns, the interior will remain expressive and non-banal.
- The choice of shades for the living room is very wide. Here you can show the maximum creative approach: delicate pastel colors are appropriate, and the most bold and saturated, you can stop at monochromatic models, or you can choose a daring abstraction or delicate wallpaper with blue flowers.
- It is better to decorate the bedroom in a more restrained way, avoiding sharp contrasts and bright colors. For a place of rest, bluish, cornflower, periwinkle are suitable. It is better to exclude complex and large patterns so that they do not distract you when falling asleep. If you don’t like wallpaper without a pattern, choose options with small ornaments or imitation of natural materials. It is better to place fresco wallpaper at the head of the bed, where it will not be visible when going to bed.
- There are usually no natural light sources in the hallway and bathroom, so it is recommended to use faded versions of blue: they not only brighten the room, but also visually expand it.
