Notes on Colour: Our Love Affair with Blue

Powder Blue to Cobalt: What Colours Go with Blue?

From the palest powder blue to rich cobalt and inky navy, blue is one of the colours I come back to again and again — in my home, my wardrobe and my designs for TINKALINK.

Perhaps it’s because blue is such an easy colour to live with. It can feel calm and soft, bold and joyful, or crisp and fresh depending on the shade and what you put with it.

In this edition of Notes on Colour, I’m exploring what colours go with blue, some of my favourite blue colour combinations, how I love decorating with blue at home and why certain shades have the extraordinary ability to transport me somewhere else entirely.

TINKALINK's love affair with blue colour palette

THE PALETTE

Powder • Cornflower • Sky • Turquoise • Cobalt • Indigo • Navy

What Colours Go with Blue?

Blue is almost too good a partner. There’s a shade to pair with nearly every colour on the spectrum, which is perhaps why I never tire of using it.

For me, some of the best colours to pair with blue are white, green, red, pink, yellow, orange, burgundy and warm brown. The secret is choosing the right shade of blue to go with them.

Blue and white is the enduring classic: crisp, fresh and timeless. Depending on the shade and pattern, it can take you from traditional blue-and-white ceramics to a sun-drenched Greek island.

Blue and red is one of my favourite, slightly less obvious combinations. Powder blue with tomato or cherry red feels wonderfully fresh and unexpected.

Cobalt blue with yellow or orange positively fizzes with colour. It’s bold, cheerful and one of those combinations that instantly lifts a room.

Blue and pink is softer. Blush and rose pink with deeper blues feel romantic without becoming too sugary.

And navy blue with burgundy or brown creates something richer and more grown-up, particularly when you add warm wood or a little brass.

Santorini Blue

Few places celebrate blue and white quite like Santorini. Against the brilliant white buildings, the endless shades of Aegean blue feel even more intense.

I love the simplicity of this colour combination — blue and white at its absolute best: fresh, timeless and instantly transporting.

It’s a pairing that works just as beautifully at home. Blue-and-white ceramics, striped fabrics, crisp linen and touches of cobalt can introduce that same feeling without making a room feel themed.

scallop marigold fabric wrapped LED candle and TINKALINK Bud Vase

Santorini blue and white colour inspiration with Aegean blue tones

TINKALINK Autumn Crystals Lapis Lazuli & Turquoise

Blue & Green Should Always Be Seen

Forget the old saying, blue and green is one of my favourite colour combinations.

I spotted this beautiful doorway in Delwara, India: the palest powder blue walls with a faded sage green door. I love how the colours have softened with age — neither one quite perfect, which somehow makes the combination even more beautiful.

It immediately made me think of our turquoise and lapis lazuli crystal bracelet. The mix of chalky turquoise, flashes of cobalt and deeper blue has that same wonderfully imperfect, collected feel — almost as though the colours have been lifted straight from the faded paintwork of the doorway.

Nature does it rather well too. Think blue hydrangeas amongst their green leaves, turquoise sea against a tree-lined coast or bluebells carpeting a woodland floor.

For interiors, I particularly love powder blue with sage green, while cobalt and emerald create something much bolder.

Majorelle Blue

One of the most unforgettable blues I’ve ever seen is at the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech.

Created by painter Jacques Majorelle, the intense Majorelle Blue makes the surrounding greens, turquoise, terracotta and yellow feel even more vibrant.

I love how it proves that blue doesn’t always have to be calm. Sometimes it can be the boldest colour in the room.

That’s something I often think about when working with cobalt blue at TINKALINK. Against softer colours it becomes the star, but paired with equally strong shades — orange, yellow, emerald or red — it takes on an entirely different energy.

Majorelle Blue colour inspiration at Jardin Majorelle Marrakech

Blue colour palette with powder blue, cobalt and navy TINKALINK homeware and fabric wrapped LED candles and striped candle holder

A postcard from holiday

Do you find blue whisks you back to memories of holidays too?

For me, it’s blue shutters against sun-bleached walls, striped parasols, painted tiles and cobalt glassware glinting in the sunshine. Back home, blue-and-white ceramic bowls piled with lemons, crisp linen, colourful candles and a few woven textures can bring a little of that holiday feeling to the table, even when the view from the window is rather less convincing.

It’s also the little things I wear. I love how my blue evil eye crystal bracelet looks against sun-kissed skin — especially with faded denim and a favourite gold bracelet. The crystals catch the summer light beautifully and have that relaxed, slightly thrown-together feel I love on holiday.

And, of course, all those holiday favourites need somewhere to live. Our blue velvet jewellery roll box comes everywhere with me. I love the rich blue velvet against faded denim ,in this photo but more importantly, it keeps my bracelets, necklaces and other little treasures together when I’m travelling. Practical, but still rather lovely — exactly how I like things.

Blue velvet jewellery roll box by TINKALINK

Blue evil eye crystal bracelet worn with gold bracelet and denim

BRINGING BLUE HOME

Blue is so easy to live with, and I love using it in the quieter spaces in my home. This little corner of my bathroom is a perfect example.

The soft blue paint creates a calm, fresh backdrop, but it’s the mix of pattern and texture that makes the space feel special. The white cotton voile gently filters the daylight, letting in plenty of natural light while giving just enough privacy from the outside.

Then I’ve layered in the things I’m naturally drawn to: a TINKALINK rick rack candle standing tall in a striped ceramic bowl, a scalloped soap dish and different shades of blue. Nothing matches perfectly — and that’s rather the point. The candle gently flickers in the corner, creating that lovely, relaxing glow of candlelight, but without an open flame — particularly reassuring in a bathroom surrounded by fabric.

For me, blue works best when it feels collected rather than coordinated. Calm and fresh, but never boring.

I particularly love mixing different blues — faded, chalky shades with stronger pattern — and adding pieces that feel collected rather than coordinated. Ceramics, textiles and candles are an easy way to do this without committing to an entire room.

And I’m always in favour of making even the smallest corners of a home feel special.