What is it about blue and white? Ever since House Beautiful began publishing in color, the cyan printing-press plate responsible for the range of vivid blues on our pages has gotten quite the workout. And no wonder: Readers consistently rank blue as their favorite hue and know that, when coupled with white at home, it simply sings.
The pairing is freshly American, calling to mind white stars on a crisp field of cobalt. And it's the life force of a globe's worth of design classics too, from Ming dynasty vases to Moroccan tiles. At worst, it's simply agreeable. At best, it's universal. And at the very least, it's here to stay.
In honor of our 120th anniversary, we asked two of our favorite talents — photographer and textile artist Martyn Thompson and stylist Jeffrey W. Miller — to collaborate on an artful paean to this dynamic color duo.
A wax Napoléon candle by Cire Trudon presides over a table draped with Walter G's striped cotton canvas. The backdrop is Clarence House's Milano velvet.