Hi there, so this feels really overdue, in fact I haven’t done a post on blue and white in a long time, so sorry for any of you incurable blue and white aholics who need a fix…I am with you so here it is!
I get a lot of emails from people asking my opinions on various things concerning blue and whites, can you mix them? Delft with Chinese porcelains? Different blues? How does one begin to start a collection, etc……The good news is that there really aren’t any rules,? each and every time its kind of like an experiment, to play around until you get it just right. And even then most of my vignettes are always evolving, always like to switch things up.
So here are my ideas on the matter and then a bunch of wonderful spaces that illustrate blue and white collecting beautifully-
Mixing different shades of blues is not only OK but advised, how boring to have everything the same shade…yes by all means mix things up!
A beginner wondering where to start? If one is to start fresh I would start with a ginger jar about 18″ and a blue and white planter, and a 8″ flat top
The great thing about a planter is you can change it out seasonally, always looks great with orchids but you can add mums, hydrangeas, paper whites,etc…according to the season
In the 17th century blue and white started to also be made in Europe but reflecting more European styling and symbols, a good example of this was the company Meissen whose influence was the original Chinese porcelains…and then extended to Delftware, which again took their design inspiration from the Chinese originals and adapted them to European styling
The “good” porcelain is handpainted and most have an antiqued process that is applied to them, the shiny bright white and blue porcelains are the cheaper versions and not considered to be as desirable
Blue and white literally is like a neutral, it can go in any colored room and honestly looks fabulous, I have seen this over and over
Mixing delft with Chinese porcelain? Yes it is done….I have a few? pieces of delft which I mixed in with my Chinese, its a different feeling but again I like to mix it up, I favor Chinese porcelain…but a little Delft sure never hurt anyone:)
Best places in the home to put blue and white? Some of the most obvious places are hallway chests/consoles, coffee table, living room chest, dining room console
My favorites spots-
Kitchen island- love a pair of vases or ginger jars
In front of a fireplace, love a big pair of chunky ginger jars
On dining room table,ether a planter or a pair of jars centered on table
Outside! Love a few ginger jars on the patio…and bring on the big fishbowls with giant palms, gorgeous!
Now that we have gotten a little crash course in blue and white, lets take a look at just how beautiful it is in all the many combinations-
A great example by the great late Charles Faudree of mixing and matching styles and shades of blue
A constantly changing vignette in my hallway
A great example of how well blue and white looks with color, in this case this magnificent green, Atlanta Home Magazine
An example of mixing a delft vase (right) with traditional Chinese porcelain
Living room chest always has lots of blue and white and this planter always has some kind of seasonal flower
A great example of mixing styles, colors and shapes, Traditional Home
Blue and white on a mantle is a sure thing….every season
My patio where I always have a few pieces on the? mantle and a planter on the coffee table filled with flowers
My kitchen island always has some variety of blue and white planters on it
Blue and white in a yellow room….absolutely!
A showhouse I did that featured a wonderful collection of blue and white
This combination always work in a kitchen, my home
A favorite place to use a mix of style and shapes is on mantle
Parker Kennedy clearly “gets’ using blue and white outdoors, fabulous!
Yes I even believe in ginger jars in the bath!
This picture I took at the Maison & Objet show in Paris a few years ago
A beautiful vignette featuring an array of shapes, colors and styles , House Beautiful
Now to complete this post on blue and white, you might? really enjoy these two utterly fascinating mini documentaries on the making of porcelains. It really gives me a whole new appreciation for every one of? the blue and whites pieces in my home…amazing the labor of love that goes into each and every piece.? Highly advise you watch it in its entirety….its really so interesting!
Nothing quite like blue and white…….always makes my day even when I am under the weather. I? found these mini movies of how the process takes place so fascinating, it gives a whole new meaning to my appreciation for each and every one of my pieces and makes me love them that much more:)? Thank you for stopping in, wishing you a fabulous day. Until next time……
Thank you for sharing the videos. The process is fascinating and the artists are incredible from beginning to end product. I have all new appreciation for blue and white porcelain and the pieces that I enjoy daily.
Oh my, Tina?.What a wonderful post to have with my coffee this morning?.such a pleasure! I have always LOVED blue and white and it is great to see it so often these days in interior design photos?. blue and white is so refreshing and just make me happy! Thanks for this thoughtful and informative post! Always a joy to read your blog!
I learned to love and appreciate blue and white as a young girl because my mom’s best friend, a very classy British woman, owned an antique shop full of it. I have a collection of antique flow blue china that she gifted me over the years. I cherish it!
You enlighten me ! I now appreciate the invidusls who take part in this age old process of building a blue and white beauty —
Thank you for continuing to share with us your knowledge and expertise as I now am more appreciative and understanding of your love of “blue and white”.
This is an awesome post…goes to show how you cam mix blue and white with almost any color…just beautiful….thanks….I’m really starting to love blue and white…
Thank you for such an informative post and the video was most informative. The skill level required for this has been totally taken for granted. I would love for you to post something about the difference between Chinese and Japanese screens. And, as always, I love seeing your posts about your beautifully decorated home.
Tina, you are fabulous!
Enchanted Home is my favorite site.
Thank you for posting the interesting films on Jingdezhen. Fascinating and informative and adds greatly to my appreciation of Chinese blue and white porcelain.
Ps. Your home is exquisite!
Thank you Tina for this post. It is my favorite post you have shared to date. It is so informative and inspiring. That said, on your survey, I should have mentioned this is the type of post that inspires us to be more creative.
Be still my beating heart…. thank you for the beautiful, exquisite blue and white heaven today..
Everything I love about you is here, interior design, your home and of course the reason we met…… our passion for blue and white
I am your devoted full member of the worldwide club, of which you are the President.
Did I tell you, I have the identical plate ( in between your myrtle topiaries ) and I bought it at the exact same time as I found your magical blog, oh happy day 🙂 It must have been fate
Any room filled with white blue and a touch of green is fabulous! I adore the large outdoor planters I wish I could fill my poolside with them throughout my garden, someday!
I love blue and white, but am not a fan of Chinese art inspired Blue and White. I own some Japanese pieces and they are indigo blue with white cranes on them and i have whites with blue stem and pink cherry blossoms.. The Japanese B&W are beautiful and the vases are often gold rimmed. They don’t seem very popular though because i do not see them at stores here.
I love blue and white, too! My obsession has gotten so bad that my husband has asked me not to bring any more blue and white into my home. I don’t know, I have my eye on a couple of oversized ginger jars – maybe just a little bit more blue and white?
Hi Tina, I have huge blue and white platter that I would love to hang but have not fiound a safe way of hanging it w/o breaking it. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Beautiful!!! I have been collecting Blue in White for years. I started at seventeen years old in Germany. Just love Blue and White. I love your kitchen curtains. Were did u fine them?
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Hi there, so this feels really overdue, in fact I haven’t done a post on blue and white in a long time, so sorry for any of you incurable blue and white aholics who need a fix…I am with you so here it is!
I get a lot of emails from people asking my opinions on various things concerning blue and whites, can you mix them? Delft with Chinese porcelains? Different blues? How does one begin to start a collection, etc……The good news is that there really aren’t any rules,? each and every time its kind of like an experiment, to play around until you get it just right. And even then most of my vignettes are always evolving, always like to switch things up.
So here are my ideas on the matter and then a bunch of wonderful spaces that illustrate blue and white collecting beautifully-
Now that we have gotten a little crash course in blue and white, lets take a look at just how beautiful it is in all the many combinations-
Love these chunky dragon ginger jars? and large foo dogs from my shop on? my dining table, a perfect compliment to blue and white dinnerware!
A great example by the great late Charles Faudree of mixing and matching styles and shades of blue
A great example of how well blue and white looks with color, in this case this magnificent green, Atlanta Home Magazine
An example of mixing a delft vase (right) with traditional Chinese porcelain
Living room chest always has lots of blue and white and this planter always has some kind of seasonal flower
A great example of mixing styles, colors and shapes, Traditional Home
Blue and white on a mantle is a sure thing….every season
My patio where I always have a few pieces on the? mantle and a planter on the coffee table filled with flowers
My kitchen island always has some variety of blue and white planters on it
Blue and white in a yellow room….absolutely!
A showhouse I did that featured a wonderful collection of blue and white
This combination always work in a kitchen, my home
A favorite place to use a mix of style and shapes is on mantle
Parker Kennedy clearly “gets’ using blue and white outdoors, fabulous!
Yes I even believe in ginger jars in the bath!
This picture I took at the Maison & Objet show in Paris a few years ago
Now to complete this post on blue and white, you might? really enjoy these two utterly fascinating mini documentaries on the making of porcelains. It really gives me a whole new appreciation for every one of? the blue and whites pieces in my home…amazing the labor of love that goes into each and every piece.? Highly advise you watch it in its entirety….its really so interesting!
Nothing quite like blue and white…….always makes my day even when I am under the weather. I? found these mini movies of how the process takes place so fascinating, it gives a whole new meaning to my appreciation for each and every one of my pieces and makes me love them that much more:)? Thank you for stopping in, wishing you a fabulous day. Until next time……
Want to see my blue and white collection on my online shop? Click here and don’t forget to enter the drawing for a ginger jar by taking my blog poll, click here
Also fabulous new floral promo started last night…so many pretty things! Click here to visit
Wow! Love this post, the info and beautiful photos. My mind is running amuck with so many ideas!
Thx, Tina!
Hi Tina…you know I’m a big blue and white fan…and I love all the blue and white porcelain! So pretty!
Thank you for the education and videos! Fascinating!
What a wonderful post Tina, you have out done yourself. So informative. Thank you so much!!!!!
Tina, blue and white porcelains are so gorgeous in any room, as you have shown!! I am going to watch the videos, I am sure they are fascinating!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Fabulous post!
Fascinating videos!!! Thank you!!!
Thank you for sharing the videos. The process is fascinating and the artists are incredible from beginning to end product. I have all new appreciation for blue and white porcelain and the pieces that I enjoy daily.
Oh my, Tina?.What a wonderful post to have with my coffee this morning?.such a pleasure! I have always LOVED blue and white and it is great to see it so often these days in interior design photos?. blue and white is so refreshing and just make me happy! Thanks for this thoughtful and informative post! Always a joy to read your blog!
I learned to love and appreciate blue and white as a young girl because my mom’s best friend, a very classy British woman, owned an antique shop full of it. I have a collection of antique flow blue china that she gifted me over the years. I cherish it!
I love all the blue & white! You give me so many wonderful ideas!
You enlighten me ! I now appreciate the invidusls who take part in this age old process of building a blue and white beauty —
Thank you for continuing to share with us your knowledge and expertise as I now am more appreciative and understanding of your love of “blue and white”.
This is an awesome post…goes to show how you cam mix blue and white with almost any color…just beautiful….thanks….I’m really starting to love blue and white…
Thank you Tina, this was a great post. Love, love, love the green mixed with blue and white.
This was a great educational post. Love all the information you share. Where can I read , Building a B & W collection part 1? Thank you , Danielle
Thanks so much for the good information, will watch another time. This is one of your best blogs!
Truly made my day. Thank you, Tina!
Tina… you are the queen of blue and white! Nobody does it better. Have a great week.
Thank you for such an informative post and the video was most informative. The skill level required for this has been totally taken for granted. I would love for you to post something about the difference between Chinese and Japanese screens. And, as always, I love seeing your posts about your beautifully decorated home.
Tina, you are fabulous!
Enchanted Home is my favorite site.
Thank you for posting the interesting films on Jingdezhen. Fascinating and informative and adds greatly to my appreciation of Chinese blue and white porcelain.
Ps. Your home is exquisite!
Thank you Tina for this post. It is my favorite post you have shared to date. It is so informative and inspiring. That said, on your survey, I should have mentioned this is the type of post that inspires us to be more creative.
Terrific post! I am obsessed with blue and white at the moment and am on the hunt for pieces every weekend on my thrifting jaunts. Love your tips!
That was fascinating to watch the process. So much time, talent and experience in every piece. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hello dearest Tina
Be still my beating heart…. thank you for the beautiful, exquisite blue and white heaven today..
Everything I love about you is here, interior design, your home and of course the reason we met…… our passion for blue and white
I am your devoted full member of the worldwide club, of which you are the President.
Did I tell you, I have the identical plate ( in between your myrtle topiaries ) and I bought it at the exact same time as I found your magical blog, oh happy day 🙂 It must have been fate
Much love to you
Sallyxx
Great post, Tina. Can you share the fabric manufacturer in your bathroom photo?
Thanks!
Any room filled with white blue and a touch of green is fabulous! I adore the large outdoor planters I wish I could fill my poolside with them throughout my garden, someday!
I love blue and white, but am not a fan of Chinese art inspired Blue and White. I own some Japanese pieces and they are indigo blue with white cranes on them and i have whites with blue stem and pink cherry blossoms.. The Japanese B&W are beautiful and the vases are often gold rimmed. They don’t seem very popular though because i do not see them at stores here.
After viewing the video about the production of blue and white porcelain in China, it makes me appreciate my pieces even more!
Thanks for posting the two videos- fascinating!
I love blue and white, too! My obsession has gotten so bad that my husband has asked me not to bring any more blue and white into my home. I don’t know, I have my eye on a couple of oversized ginger jars – maybe just a little bit more blue and white?
I love all the blue and white photos – and the opportunity to purchase as well!
Hi Tina, I have huge blue and white platter that I would love to hang but have not fiound a safe way of hanging it w/o breaking it. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Thank you
Beautiful!!! I have been collecting Blue in White for years. I started at seventeen years old in Germany. Just love Blue and White. I love your kitchen curtains. Were did u fine them?
I just found this and love your collection. Now to start one of my own. I love everything you did with them.
Absolutely beautiful Pictures! I have quite a few pieces myself and your ideas inspire me!