Color Spotlight: Orange with Blue

By Kate Riley April 28, 2010

It’s raining again  today, grrrr, and I can’t take it anymore !  I crave sunshine, I need warmth, I’m dying to put my winter clothes away permanently for the next six months.  Why won’t this weather cooperate hmmmm ????

In contrast with these gloomy April showers, today I’m craving orange, especially tangerine, persimmon, and burnt orange mixed with all shades of blue from indigo to teal.  The combination in so fresh, so invigorating, so cheerful, so inviting.

And oh so complementary !

Here are some of my favorite spaces featuring blue and orange:

southern living blue and orange Southern Living

 

massucco warner miller chair Massucco Warner Miller

 

palmer weiss orange and teal Palmer Weiss

 

real simple boxes in shelf Real Simple

 

southern living orange and blue Southern Living

 

peacock blue walls with orange House Beautiful

 

homes and gardens Homes and Gardens

 

blue and orange via colour me happy  via Colour Me Happy

 

massucco warner miller Massucco Warner Miller

 

orange linens southern living Southern Living

 

saturated tangerine coastal living Coastal Living

 

This looks like black not blue, but still works so well

sunset blue and orange Sunset

 

celerie kemble Celerie Kemble

 

via home interiors zone via Home Interiors Zone

 

via yhl via Young House Love

 

blue and orange home mag elle decor Home Magazine/Elle Decor

Doesn’t orange and blue work so well with crisp white ?  I’m so inspired by this classic color combination, I must add some more orange to the (in progress) blue and white boy’s room.  

Want to add some pops of orange and blue to your living space ? 

Here’s a few fun fabrics !

fabric collage

Waverly Sea Scallop Coral Reef; Annie Selke Scramble Bluemarine; Thibaut South Beach Orange; Chippendale FretworkRebecca FernWaverly Lattice Lagoon.

How about some modern accessories? 

blue and orange collageDeco turquoise lamp; orange croc coasters; teal vase; bottle vases; labyrinth pillowbutterfly pillow; turquoise throwsmall orange trunk; floral teal pillow; swag chandelier; martini side table. 

What about you ?

Do you love the classic mixture of orange with blue ? 

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66 comments

  1. I totally agree…I really have been wanting to do my boys room in orange and blue. Party because it compliments the toys and IKEA stuff they have already. My husband isn’t so into the idea. But I think their bunk bed will look great against a wall done in tangerine.

  2. YES! I love this color combination! These two colors are all over my house. Beautiful post Kate! I love it…so refreshing! I hear you about the weather, its so windy here…ugh, I could just scream, but no one would here me because of this cluster of never ending tornadoes outside…lol

  3. I LUUUUV this color combination! It makes me want to go re-do a room in Orange and Blue. Thanks for the inspiration.

  4. Just wanted to share that when we went to Sherwin Williams today, we discovered that while they do not carry a primer, they do have a paint product that adheres well to laminate. Supposed to be a one-step process rather than having to prime, then paint. So we bought a small can and will try it out! It’s also supposed to be very durable.

  5. I love all of those images…every.single.one. Couldn’t agree more about the color combo. Hopefully warmer days are in your future :)

  6. Love orange blue! I painted an office a burnt orange and complimented the white furniture with teal and creamy chocolate brown accessories. Darn it, I miss that room now!

  7. I love it.. My boys room is painted blue & they orange (basketball) stuff scattered throughout. It looks GREAT!

  8. There was an orange and green feature in Houzz just this week, did you see it? speaking as someone whose main room used to be IronBru orange – I really like it!
    I’m enjoying the rain…. sorry Kate! I love seeing the Marin hills so lush and green…

  9. I hoped over from twitter as soon as I saw the color combo! LOVE! I’ve been thinking about doing this color scheme for the boys room!

  10. Honestly this was a color combo I have avoided most of my like (let’s be honest- they were my elementary school school colors). BUT, I love this collection you have put together. Little spurts of orange can fit nicely with a bit of pale blue and white.

  11. Well, seeing as how my kitchen cabinets are orange and our dining room chairs have dark turquoise covers…I think I’m very into orange and blue (and chocolate brown, and winey reds, and mustard yellows, and…). That room from House Beautiful is just delicious.

  12. The first pic is gorg! But so are some of the others! Orange is one of those colors that I really thought I didn’t like but it turns out that I really do in certain applications! But I LOVE it with blue!

  13. Thank you for this post!!! My husband has been begging for a FL Gators themed room, even though I’m an alumna having bright orange in a room turned me off, however, the soft blue with orange is really lovely.

  14. Orange is my favorite color by far! My husband and I just decided to do touches of blue and orange in our living room and kitchen. I just posted about a stand I repainted burned orange and I’m in love with it! Thanks for the inspiration!!

  15. I love these colors together. I just did a tablescape last week using them. They are so refreshing together! Thanks for gathering all of these inspiration pics!

  16. I LOVE the contrast of warm and cool colors. I am particularly drawn to the Southern Living pics for some reason. Blue & Green are the dominant colors in the living areas of my house, but it is contrasted with warm oak trim and Old Brass (a muted gold) on the walls. Great post!

  17. I was just working on an orange & blue post for my Orange Crush series but I can’t even come close to this. What a fab post! It really is one of the most cheerful color combos, isn’t it?

  18. i once bought ribbon at michaels because i couldn’t resist the turquoise with the orange. i still look at the ribbon and sigh, thanks for the reminder of how fabulous those colors are together. your blog is always so inspiring!

  19. I love blue & orange!! One of my very favorite paintings has these colors in great tones!

    Karena
    Art by Karena

  20. Love how the orange jazzes up a basic blue/white room. I can imagine this working wonderfully for a boy’s room, but the photos you show prove it can be a great look in any space. I bet it could be stunning in a dining room.

  21. LOL, I have the same issue as Emily, they were my school colors. But, I decided to get over it, and took the plunge this weekend– painted my living room surfer blue, and it looks sooo yummy against my orange sofa– it completely changed the room!

  22. I really do love this color combo. And for some reason…oranges have really been popping out at me everywhere lately!!!

  23. Hmmmmm….Just in time for our upcoming bedroom redecorating project. I LOVE it!

    Started following your blog a few days ago and I am loving your creative ideas….

  24. I think it’s a fun combination, I always enjoy seeing these colors in design. Thanks for all of the great images above. Funny enough, I have fabric #4 (Waverly) on my office chair that I reupholstered last year. I still love it now as much as I did when I picked it out. I used the remaining fabric to cover a footstool. :)

    Sorry your day is gloomy. Here it is lovely and today was a rarity-no humidity and breezy. We’re in for 90 degrees from here on out now, which I’m not looking forward to. too hot for me, such is life in FL. *sigh*

    If you are interested I’m hosting a giveaway, just 2 days left. Here is the link:

    http://theclassywoman.blogspot.com/2010/04/healthy-giveaway.html

  25. I LOVE the orange and blue combo!!! I am just putting Orange accessories in my kitchen, it is so FUN to me. Thanks for the awesome post :) LOVE the fabrics!!

  26. I would never have thought orange would go with blue, but as you have just proved, it absolutely does! I LOVE burnt orange – this was the colour for our wedding!

  27. I’ve had orange and white in our master bedroom for a while & had been going around and around about what to do with the walls…everything just seemed so blah compared to the fun oranges that were all over the pillows and bed. About a month ago, I was inspired to do blue on the walls. My hubby was a little nervous, but allowed me to do it — and now he LOVES our orange & blue room, too!

  28. Very pretty! My living room is very neutral & I have been incorporating a bit of orange into it for a pop of color (as if my boys’ toys aren’t colorful enough!).

    Very pretty!

  29. There’s something about orange with blue together that always makes me happy (which is why I had my blog designer incorporate the two in my header!). Great photos! I love all these rooms.

  30. See, Told gcha! Super combos, especially the one from Elle towards the bottom. So many patterns all working together too.
    Perfect for that room you were thinking of doing.

  31. I love this combo. In fact, we are moving into a new house (new to us) tomorrow and I’m planning to incorporate orange and blue with a touch of chocolate into my new kitchen/family toom. Yummy!

  32. While, I love the pictures you posted, they are such pretty combinations. I am from Chicago, and blue and orange is Bears, and turquise and orange is Miami Dolphins, so I just can’t do it in my home. Love the look though, just not for me.

  33. Just lovely! I have been contemplating this color scheme for my master bedroom – so I love all of this inspiration!

  34. Awesome! I just decided to throw some blue and orange into my living room! This is exactly the inspiration I need! Thanks for the great ideas!

  35. If you like blue and orange, then I think you would enjoy visiting my blog as orange is my very favorite color. You might also like my kitchen featured on Hooked on Houses today.

  36. Oh Dear! Blue and Orange so remind me of 1979/80. Have we circled back to that colour palette already? I have to admit your pix are more toned down than the blue and orange of memory – but then I looked in the family scrapbook, and yikes! There it is in all its heavy handed burnt orangedness. Forgive my Mother’s designer for she knew not what she inflicted!

  37. I love, love, love the combo of these colors. I can’t seem to get them of my mind. I’ve been adding the orange to my already turquoise bedroom set. I recently purchased orange sheets and love the new look! I even picked up an orange plate form Walmart (Better Homes Line) to hang. Thanks for sharing the wonderful and colorful pics!

  38. I love the look, I’m always changing things up so I love the fact that a new set of orange pillows might be enough to pump up our blue and brown family room for summer.

  39. I love the blue and white striped rug in the Southern Living room – have you seen anything like it around?

  40. I was so excited to see your orange and blue blog! I did a room in orange and blue when we moved into our house just last year – you should have seen the strange looks I received at the mention of pairing the two colors. Thank you!

  41. My living room is burnt orange, several blues, chocolate brown, and cream. It is a great color combo. And I’ve already started working on my decorations for my new living room–cream, sage green, burnt orange, and a blue similar to this website’s background. I just can’t seem to get away from the colors. ;-)

  42. My master bedroom is blue/orange! My husband bought me my coveted DwellStudio comforter, and I spent an entire year trying to decide what wall color to use with it. Then one day I decided to reach back to my art class roots and go complementary. It’s definitely the boldest, brightest room in the house, but it’s oh, so exciting to wake up to in the morning :)

    http://lh5.ggpht.com/_tbxrVJTBfhY/S9-OMt4fTMI/AAAAAAAABEQ/74cBksqRLVU/s1600-h/9%5B3%5D.jpg

    I’m still playing around with the accessories, and the curtains need more flair, but I love the combination of the deep almost red-orange with the light bright blue!

  43. I have been searching high and low to find a fabric similar to the orange damask curtains in the Palmer Weiss decorated living room. I absolutely love them. If anyone has seen something similar please let me know. I’ve become obsessed with blue and orange right now!

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