Beyond red and green: Making navy blue the star of your Christmas decor

I knew when I painted our fireplace navy, that I was signing up for a perpetual Christmas dilemma. My holiday decor would always have to incorporate blue. It's a dilemma because I am constantly changing my decor year and after and I wanted to keep the freedom to choose new and interesting color palettes. I also didn't want to risk my holiday decorations looking like the fourth of July with a dominating red, white, and blue. Three Christmases later I'm still loving our cool dark navy, proven now to complement many colors. I found Needlepoint Navy in Sherwin Williams' historic collection and went firmly in that direction for Christmas 2022 with green and blue tartan plaid ribbon specially ordered from Scotland, navy blue ornaments, a union jack pillow (which I forgot to photograph), and a general aesthetic of English comfort.

Somehow I forgot to take a photo of the blue plaid ribbon and wreaths on each of the kitchen cabinets. You can see them in the background of this shot. (Hard to believe it was just 2 years ago that my youngest was still shorter than me. I think he's grown 10 inches since then!)

My people. The best part.

In 2023 I balanced the blue more with wood tones in the decor, a pair of vintage wooden waterskis (used by my dad and aunt as children), and a few more reds accents.

In 2024, I concentrated on the contrast between red and blue. By merging the warm colors with the cool ones and balancing them with green (a neutral tone) and wood accents, I created a combination that I love.

The Christmas tree has been on the screened porch for years but for 2024 we brought it inside. I think it's here to stay!

Holiday decor tip: If your artwork doesn't blend with your Christmas accents, cover them in wrapping paper. :)

Happy New Year everyone and I look forward to sharing a bunch of new styling projects in 2025!