Blue-and-White Accents

Chinoiserie Is Elegant And Chic

               Blue-And-White Décor                

While flipping through design
magazines, or out at the home
accessory stores, lately I have
noticed more of the porcelain

blue-and-white decorative vases and accent pieces. I sometimes now wonder why I did not keep a beautiful tall oriental blue-and-white vase I had, and departed with at our neighborhood garage sale a few years ago. My vase was purchased a long time ago at Pier 1 Imports. At that time, Pier 1 Imports was one of the few stores that sold oriental ceramic and porcelain pieces from China.
 
Well, I sure learned a lesson. Even if you get all new accessories and change out your design and color scheme in your home, always keep some of the classic and expensive accent items. I am sure in a few years you will use them again somewhere in the home.

 Early on in my decorating career, I favored Asian accessory pieces. I would mix them with traditional, Country French, European, and some of the 'soft' contemporary design styles. I would incorporate the blue-and-white vases, ginger jars, plates, and bowls with most color schemes, and it worked! The accent piece would add a Regal look with a touch of elegance to the room.

 

Any blue-and-white accent piece will look fantastic when using red, yellow, white, or blue colors in a space. But, it will also go well with colors like coral, green, or pink. The blue-and-white accessory item is more of a "punch" color in the room. 

                                                    

 

A tall blue-and-white vase can be used alone, or with a few plain willow sticks or faux cherry blossom stems arranged in it. I put the sticks in the one I had. It looked beautiful sitting on one side of my dining buffet. The blue-and-white ginger jar also looks great alone, or placed in a grouping of porcelain oriental blue-and-white jars, vases, and planters. This grouping becomes the main focal point when used on top of a chest, armoire, buffet or center of the dining table. A set of porcelain blue-and-white plates can be displayed inside the china cabinet or on the kitchen open shelves.

 

So, the next time you are out searching for a unique accent piece, grab that chinoiserie chic vase, bowl, or jar.

 

The blue-and-white décor in this formal Living Room makes a grand statement with the other tones of white and ivory.

                                                                                             

The dining table shown here by Ethan Allen has a grouping of blue-and-white porcelain pieces placed on the center of the table.

 





The  oriental planter I used to put a fern in sits on top of the chest in the client's Master Bedroom. Other colors of coral and blue are featured.

 





I placed a blue-and-white vase of flowers beside the whirlpool tub in the Master Bathroom to carry the theme throughout.

  





The blue-and-white accent pieces goes great in this Country French Kitchen with colors or yellow, blue, and white.

  

 

 

 

 

There are several online resources for the oriental vases and jars, such as these found at Wisteria.