Decorating
Colour: Celebrating the Perennial Appeal of Duck Egg Blue
Wonderfully versatile and effortlessly appealing, duck egg blue is a classic shade that continues to evolve
There are some shades that stand confidently apart from fashion and resist any attempt to be tied to a specific interior style or look. Duck egg blue is one of them. Equally at home in a country kitchen, an elegant French bedroom or a funky child’s room, this soft, appealing shade earned its design stripes years ago and, at the same time, worked its way quietly into our affections.
We love its ability to span the divide between a neutral and a colour, working beautifully as both a backdrop and a feature shade. It adds personality and warmth to a room without shouting about it and, as these 10 lovely schemes demonstrate, it can make friends with a host of other colours and interior styles with ease.
We love its ability to span the divide between a neutral and a colour, working beautifully as both a backdrop and a feature shade. It adds personality and warmth to a room without shouting about it and, as these 10 lovely schemes demonstrate, it can make friends with a host of other colours and interior styles with ease.
Ramp up its rustic edge
Yes, it’s a soft and delicate shade, but duck egg blue can hold its own in a rustic context. This bedroom has salvaged doors as a bedhead, painted in a duck egg that tips towards grey. The vintage lamp adds another shot of rustic blue and the whole space is balanced by abundant white and shots of black.
Yes, it’s a soft and delicate shade, but duck egg blue can hold its own in a rustic context. This bedroom has salvaged doors as a bedhead, painted in a duck egg that tips towards grey. The vintage lamp adds another shot of rustic blue and the whole space is balanced by abundant white and shots of black.
Create a classic country feel
Duck egg blue is a much-used shade in country schemes, and works particularly well in a Shaker-style kitchen. When used on all surfaces, the shade can read as a little cloying, but it’s easy to avoid the effect. Simply follow this pared-back kitchen’s lead and team it with white and wooden flooring for a fresher look. Solid, attractive fittings, such as this Butler sink, help to ground the shade and give it a utilitarian vibe.
Discover 12 ways to incorporate country style in your kitchen
Duck egg blue is a much-used shade in country schemes, and works particularly well in a Shaker-style kitchen. When used on all surfaces, the shade can read as a little cloying, but it’s easy to avoid the effect. Simply follow this pared-back kitchen’s lead and team it with white and wooden flooring for a fresher look. Solid, attractive fittings, such as this Butler sink, help to ground the shade and give it a utilitarian vibe.
Discover 12 ways to incorporate country style in your kitchen
Combine with pattern
Subtly boost the interest of this muted shade by combining it with pattern. Pick a wallpaper with a backdrop of duck egg blue and a delicate pattern overlaid to add gentle colour to a wall. Here, the paper creates a feature behind the bed, while the other walls are painted simply in a similar blue shade.
Subtly boost the interest of this muted shade by combining it with pattern. Pick a wallpaper with a backdrop of duck egg blue and a delicate pattern overlaid to add gentle colour to a wall. Here, the paper creates a feature behind the bed, while the other walls are painted simply in a similar blue shade.
Enjoy it everywhere
This warm and inviting living room has duck egg blue as its core colour. The shade is used on the walls and also the seating, with notes of it also found on china, lampshades and even the fender cushions. Crisp white woodwork and warm tones of red prevent the look from appearing too coordinated, and balance the blue beautifully.
This warm and inviting living room has duck egg blue as its core colour. The shade is used on the walls and also the seating, with notes of it also found on china, lampshades and even the fender cushions. Crisp white woodwork and warm tones of red prevent the look from appearing too coordinated, and balance the blue beautifully.
Go half and half
Bathrooms often contain a mix of materials on the lower half of their walls, from tiles to panelling, to help the space function well and stand up to splashes and moisture. The upper half of the wall, though, is the perfect place for some colour and duck egg blue, with its soft, watery tones, is a great fit in a country style or traditional bathroom.
Bathrooms often contain a mix of materials on the lower half of their walls, from tiles to panelling, to help the space function well and stand up to splashes and moisture. The upper half of the wall, though, is the perfect place for some colour and duck egg blue, with its soft, watery tones, is a great fit in a country style or traditional bathroom.
Introduce it as an accent
You might imagine that accent colours must be bold or bright, but this bedroom shows how softer tones can break up a white scheme beautifully. Duck egg blue bedspreads and headboards draw the eye to these twin beds, while a mural of pencils contains blue notes, too, for a softly coordinated effect that transforms an otherwise white scheme.
You might imagine that accent colours must be bold or bright, but this bedroom shows how softer tones can break up a white scheme beautifully. Duck egg blue bedspreads and headboards draw the eye to these twin beds, while a mural of pencils contains blue notes, too, for a softly coordinated effect that transforms an otherwise white scheme.
Use it in a child’s room
Duck egg blue has the right blend of sophistication and friendliness to make it ideal for a child’s room. It’s a shade a child won’t quickly grow out of, or a parent object to! It’s also easy to funk it up a little, as this bedroom illustrates. Light bulb wall stickers add some fun, while striped bedding brings energy to the scheme and a wooden chest of drawers supplies some contrasting dark colour.
Duck egg blue has the right blend of sophistication and friendliness to make it ideal for a child’s room. It’s a shade a child won’t quickly grow out of, or a parent object to! It’s also easy to funk it up a little, as this bedroom illustrates. Light bulb wall stickers add some fun, while striped bedding brings energy to the scheme and a wooden chest of drawers supplies some contrasting dark colour.
Treat it as a neutral
More interesting than beige, warmer than white and less edgy than grey, duck egg blue has its own personality, but can work as a neutral backdrop. The key is to team it with a handful of eye-catching pieces. Here, a red bedspread and stripy armchair pop out, so that it takes a moment to notice the wall colour is not a classic neutral white, but a lovely soft blue.
More interesting than beige, warmer than white and less edgy than grey, duck egg blue has its own personality, but can work as a neutral backdrop. The key is to team it with a handful of eye-catching pieces. Here, a red bedspread and stripy armchair pop out, so that it takes a moment to notice the wall colour is not a classic neutral white, but a lovely soft blue.
Make it modern
Nudge duck egg blue towards a more modern feel by picking a shade that contains a little more depth than the classic powdery version. This hue still offers the same welcoming, easy-going vibe and works well as a backdrop, but has a little more weight, so that it suits contemporary furniture and a pared-back aesthetic.
TELL US...
Do you like duck egg blue? How do you incorporate it in your own home? Share your tips in the Comments below.
Nudge duck egg blue towards a more modern feel by picking a shade that contains a little more depth than the classic powdery version. This hue still offers the same welcoming, easy-going vibe and works well as a backdrop, but has a little more weight, so that it suits contemporary furniture and a pared-back aesthetic.
TELL US...
Do you like duck egg blue? How do you incorporate it in your own home? Share your tips in the Comments below.
Duck egg blue can look beautifully sophisticated when used as a backdrop to a restrained and elegant scheme. In this traditional living room, it introduces subtle and appealing colour to a space decorated with dark wood furniture and neutral flooring. The effect is tasteful, but not at all stuffy.
Learn about traditional style