English Country Style Is Bringing This Unexpected Color to Christmas

Let me go on the record to say that I love just about any creative holiday decor, and I’ve (almost) seen it all — from black trees to Pinkmas decor, and quite literally everything in between. But this year, as I studied brand look books (and my own designer bookmarks of ideas that felt truly new last season), an unexpected decor color began to emerge: blue.

“Blue Christmas” is certainly a concept many people are familiar with, but I’m not talking about the Elvis melancholy variety or even the icy blues, silvers, and whites of quintessential wintry schemes. What I’m seeing a lot of this year is an English Cotswold blue that’s close to a cornflower color — almost certainly inspired by the recent popularity of classic English country style — and there’s just something so pretty, cozy, and homey about it. Why blue, why now? I’m going to attempt to answer that question for you and bring you some of the best of the blues out there right now, in case you want to do something a little different with your holiday decor this year. 

It’s no secret blue has been gaining ground again in design circles, thanks to its tranquility and nature-inspired neutrality (it’s the color of the sky and sea, after all). Valspar named Cottage Door (8004-38E), a mid-tone denim-look hue as its Color of the Year for 2027, which is right on the nose here with its name and appearance. So did Glidden with their pick of Artifact (PPG10-16), a warm, smoky mid-tone blue that’s also very close to what’s popping up in the big decor brands’ collections. Blue is just a palatable hue for many, and it’s resonating right now for how easy it is to use and those ties I mentioned to all things traditional-meets-cottagecore, from Delftware to Chinoiserie pottery — and its source material, beautiful antique Chinese porcelain. Maybe it’s even an outgrowth of the hydrangea-as-tree-filler trend Apartment Therapy brought you last year, as that flower is maybe best known, at least here in the Northeast, for its blue-tinted variety?

Big designers and brands are absolutely setting this trend. Designer Shea McGee curated an entire tree setup called “English Country Christmas” for her McGee & Co. product line this year, which features the mix of Cotswold blue bows, ornaments, and trimmings you can see above. Navy hues tend to work well as an accent to these lighter cottagey colors — as do old-fashioned citrus fruit garlands and accents (hello, complementary colors!). So I’ve been seeing those orange pops and hits of navy, too, the latter particularly in things like tree skirts and stockings, many of which subtly reference (and work well with) two other micro-trends in decor right now: all things celestial and Ralph Lauren decor. This season Anthropologie, Terrain, Balsam Hill, and Crate & Barrel have all embraced blues, too, alongside the regular fare of red and green, burgundy, and metallic accents. Next year, I expect even more blue to be present in the market. Trends always take time to take over in mass stores and at scale. 

The nice thing about blue is it feels a little more inclusive of a holiday color to begin with, as it also works well for Hanukkah and with those general snowy whites. You could even try it as a tree color, which is exactly what designer Jennifer Acito of Dama & Wood Interiors did last year (she spray painted her stunner teal as pictured above), but this year blues are definitely at the big-box stores. Whether you go with small touches of blue or embrace it from top to bottom, these pieces caught my eye as a place to start your blue era.