Creative Interiors: Blue rooms take white accessories, lots of textures

Let's do a bedroom. Color the walls a soft, grayed white. The ceiling should be pure white, except for the daring who may opt for a blue sky with fluffy white clouds painted up there.

Underfoot, the carpet is to be a snow white. A wood floor is also acceptable if that is your preference. The wood should be a grayish white.

The night stands and dresser would be attractive in a French Provincial style with, here it is again, a gray-white finish to the wood. The headboard? How about white wrought iron?So far, everything is white. So where's the blue?

Let's start with the draperies. Make them a soft, almost pastel blue with white, white sheers underneath. The comforter is a blue and white check print with a white eyelet dust ruffle. Throw pillows and shams can be in a combination of paisley, stripe and check patterns, all in soft blue and white. A small pillow or two would be nice in the same eyelet fabric as the dust ruffle.

At the foot of the bed a wooden leg, flared arm bench would be nice. What color should the wood should be? Grayed white. The cushion on the bench can be one of the patterns of the throw pillows.

If space permits, a white love seat with a very large white ottoman would be nice. The ottoman should be the same width as the inside of the love seat. Sitting on one or both sides of the love seat should be a cabriole legged table.

Prints on the walls should have either soft blue frames or grayed white ones. Being a bedroom, the subject matter of the prints should be relaxing -- water scenes, birds, children at play, that type of thing.

White roses in a clear glass vase should always grace the dresser. Live ones would be too expensive to purchase every week. Perhaps the silk ones in the glass vase with what looks like water in it is a more economical choice.

Lamps need very white shades. Soft blue bases in a swirl shape would certainly sit proudly on the night stands. Lots of silver picture frames with family pictures in them would finish off this room perfectly.

All that's left to do is to put white slippers by the bed. There you have it, a picture-perfect blue room.

For more insight on color, "Mystery of Color," a hardcover book by Naples interior designer Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, is available through Barnes & Noble. For a newsletter on "Broken Color," send $3 plus a long, self-addressed stamped envelope to L&M Publications, PMB 229, PO Box 413005, Naples, Fl. 34103-3005. Be sure to mention the title.