Color. Our world is saturated with it, from the bright yellow of fresh daffodils to the dark rusty red of an exposed brick wall; color can change the whole look of a room.

In Designer Monthly's The Magic of Color, we look at a different color each month. As you learn in the first Unit of the Sheffield Complete Course in Interior Design, the designer has available an infinite range of hues, both natural and man-made. When painting, you can combine colors to form other colors, in an endless array of shades. Manufacturers of everything from throw pillows to lampshades can also produce this vast palette. And then you must also consider the artwork that will hang in the rooms you design.

Welcome to the world of color. Everywhere we turn, there it is the deep indigo blue of a favorite old sweater, the glossy green of rhododendron leaves in a rainstorm, the rich brown of the soil as you begin to plant your spring flowers. We hope you'll join us each month on this exciting journey, as we take a close look at a color we love.

Interior Design Colors – Navy Blue Decor

Summertime often calls to mind this particularly dark, rich shade of blue: navy. And no wonder: it's the color of the ocean waves on a hot summer's day, and it's the color that's been used for years in summer decorating, particularly at the beach.

Think of a grand old summertime beach-side hotel, and it's easy to imagine the navy-and-white striped awning, the navy cushions on the white wicker porch furniture, and the navy-and-white striped placemats on which are set a cold tuna salad platter and a lemonade.

Navy blue, especially combined with bright white, gives a crisp, clean feeling to any room. One great summer decorating idea is to re-do a bathroom in this color, starting by painting the ceiling navy blue. Next, choose a wallpaper that is in a navy-and-white pattern; if you're really going for the nautical effect, choose a navy blue design of seashells or life preservers. For navy blue decor that's more subtle, you can find navy and white wall paper in every pattern from toile to floral prints to a checkerboard design.

Next, consider the flooring. White and navy tiles will go a long way toward emphasizing the clean look of navy blue. The fixtures should be stand-out white: an old-fashioned white basin, white toilet, and white tub will look great, and they won't be troublesome to use in the room's next incarnation. You can easily find a shower curtain with a navy blue design, and then you can install louvered window shades painted white, or a simple white cloth shade.

Navy Blue armoire

Finally, choose the towels and bathmat to match. When you're done, you'll have a bathroom that's ship-shape and ready for sailing!

Even if you're not in a seaside getaway, navy blue decor can also be used in your home's other rooms, for a cooling, calming effect. Depending on the color scheme you have now, you could try replacing your area rug with something in navy and white. Add vases or curtains in navy, and a couple of throw pillows in navy and one of the colors already dominate in the room.

If you want to tone down the navy blue decor in a room, add a little pale yellow; this will offset the navy without detracting from it. A navy vase with yellow carnations is a favorite among lovers of navy blue.

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