Monet Kitchen Decor: 16 Blue and Yellow Giverny Ideas That Look Like a French Country Magazine

Monet Kitchen Decor is the cheerful blue and yellow look that comes straight from the painter’s own country home in Giverny, France. Claude Monet moved into the house in 1883, and his family soon painted the shutters green, covered the kitchen walls in blue and white tile, and painted the dining room in two shades of sunny yellow. Today hundreds of thousands of visitors walk through those rooms every year, and most of them leave wanting the same colors at home. The good news is that this Monet kitchen decor style is built on paint, thrifted dishes, copper, herbs and fresh flowers, so it costs very little to copy. Below you will find 16 easy ideas, from painted chairs to stenciled tea towels, plus a few cozy evergreen touches that make the kitchen ready for the holidays..

Monet Kitchen Decor Starts With Blue and White Tile

The heart of the Giverny kitchen is a wall of blue and white tile that wraps the room from floor to ceiling. Today the house is a museum, and you can read more about the Monet house and gardens before you start. You do not need real French tile to get the look. Paint, tile decals or a few thrifted tiles behind the stove will do it. Pair the blue with warm wood, a rustic table and old fashioned kitchen features like open shelves, and the room starts to feel like a quiet French farmhouse..

You will need: white paint, blue tile decals or real tiles, tile adhesive, a level, a soft cloth.

How to make it: 1. Clean and dry the wall behind your stove or sink. 2. Mark a straight line with a level so the first row sits even. 3. Press the decals or set the tiles row by row, smoothing out air bubbles with a soft cloth.

Spare Blue Tiles Turned Into Trivets

The blue and white tile at Giverny has an old world Normandy feel, and you can bring a bit of that charm to your table without tiling a single wall. Pick up a few single blue and white tiles at a flea market or home store and turn them into trivets for hot dishes. Set them along the counter beside your new backsplash ideas and they look like they came with the house, a small Monet kitchen decor touch anyone can afford. They also make a sweet hostess gift wrapped in brown paper.

You will need: blue and white ceramic tiles, round cork pads or felt dots, strong craft glue, brown paper, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Wipe each tile clean and let it dry. 2. Glue a cork pad or four felt dots to each corner on the back. 3. Let the glue cure overnight before setting a warm pan on top.

Monet Kitchen Decor With Copper on Blue

In the real Giverny kitchen, a long row of copper pots and pans hangs against the blue tile, and the warm orange glow next to the cool blue is what makes the room so famous. Thrift stores often sell copper molds and small saucepans for a few dollars. Hang them from a simple rail with S hooks and tuck in a sprig of evergreen for December. If you love a working pan wall, see how a famous chef organized hers for more ideas.

You will need: a metal rail or curtain rod, S hooks, thrifted copper pans and molds, lemon, salt, a soft rag.

How to make it: 1. Polish dull copper with half a lemon dipped in salt, then rinse and dry. 2. Mount the rail on studs at eye level. 3. Hang the largest pieces in the center and the small molds toward the ends.

Thrifted Blue and White Plates on the Wall

The shelves at Giverny are filled with blue and white plates, and a plate wall is one of the cheapest ways to borrow that look. Mismatched pieces are part of the charm, so grab any plate with a blue pattern you find at yard sales. Arrange them on the floor first, then hang them in a loose group around a doorway or above a window. If you want a holiday version, try making a few decoupage plates with Mod Podge and mixing them in.

You will need: 6 to 12 blue and white plates, adhesive plate hangers, a pencil, a measuring tape, kraft paper.

How to make it: 1. Trace each plate on kraft paper and tape the paper shapes to the wall to test the layout. 2. Attach adhesive hangers to the plate backs and let them set. 3. Hang each plate on a nail placed through its paper shape, then tear the paper away.

Dining Chairs in Two Shades of Sunny Yellow

Monet painted his dining room in two shades of yellow, a bright one and a softer one, and the same trick works beautifully on old wooden chairs. Paint half your chairs lemon yellow and the rest a pale cream yellow, and a tired set suddenly looks planned and custom. Thrift store ladderback chairs are perfect for this because the rungs catch the light. For the holidays, hang a small wreath or a festive chair swag from the back of each one.

You will need: wooden chairs, sandpaper, primer, two shades of yellow chalk paint, a brush, clear wax, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Lightly sand each chair and wipe away the dust. 2. Prime, then paint two coats of yellow, using one shade on half the chairs and the second shade on the rest. 3. Seal with clear wax and buff to a soft sheen.

A Bowl of Lemons for Instant Sunshine

Nothing ties blue and yellow Monet kitchen decor together faster than a big bowl of lemons. Set one in the middle of the table and the yellow chairs, blue plates and copper all suddenly look like they belong together. Lemons last for weeks at room temperature, so this is one of the easiest ways to keep the look fresh. In winter, swap a few for clementines or a string of dried orange slices and the bowl becomes a cheerful holiday centerpiece that smells wonderful.

You will need: a wide ceramic bowl, 10 to 15 lemons, a few sprigs of bay leaves or rosemary.

How to make it: 1. Choose a wide, shallow bowl so the fruit sits in a full mound. 2. Pile the lemons in, largest on the bottom. 3. Tuck bay or rosemary sprigs between them and replace any soft fruit each week.

Monet Kitchen Decor Idea: A Yellow Dish Hutch

The yellow dining room at Giverny has tall cabinets painted the same sunny color as the walls, and they show off stacks of china. A thrifted hutch painted yellow does the same job in any home. Fill it with blue and white plates, cups and bowls, and lay a fresh evergreen garland across the top for December. If you already own a set of old dishes, you will love these vintage china ideas for even more ways to use them.

You will need: a thrifted hutch or cabinet, degreaser, primer, yellow paint, a foam roller, blue and white dishes.

How to make it: 1. Remove the doors and hardware and clean every surface with degreaser. 2. Prime, then roll on two coats of yellow paint. 3. Reattach the doors and stack the dishes by size, plates in back and cups up front.

Green Shutters Like the Pink House at Giverny

From the garden, the first thing visitors notice is the pink house with its bright green shutters. Monet chose that green himself, and it is the same color he used on his garden bridge. You can copy it with a set of shutters beside a kitchen window, inside or out. Even one pair of painted shutters on a plain wall adds French country charm. Look through these old shutter ideas if you find a stack of them at a salvage yard.

You will need: a pair of wooden shutters, sandpaper, exterior primer, deep green paint, a brush, mounting brackets.

How to make it: 1. Sand away loose paint and wipe the shutters clean. 2. Prime and paint two coats of deep green, letting each coat dry fully. 3. Mount them beside a window with brackets, or lean them against a wall as decor.

Woodblock Style Prints in a Yellow Hallway

Monet collected Edo period woodblock prints from overseas and hung them all over his house, especially in the yellow dining room. Many of those old prints are now in the public domain, so you can download a few landscapes, print them at a copy shop and frame them for very little. Hang three in a row on a yellow wall and it feels like a museum. If you love framing art, you may also like these picture frame crafts for the holidays.

You will need: 3 public domain landscape prints, 3 thin black frames with mats, a measuring tape, picture hooks.

How to make it: 1. Print each landscape on matte paper at the copy shop. 2. Center the prints in the mats and close the frames. 3. Hang them at eye level with equal spacing, measuring from the center of each frame.

Monet Kitchen Decor on the Windowsill: Fresh Herbs

Monet was a devoted gardener, and his house always had something green growing near the windows. A row of herbs in mugs or clay pots on the sill is an easy way to bring that garden feeling inside. Basil, parsley and thyme all grow well in a bright window, and you can snip them for dinner. Old mugs with small chips make great planters. For more green ideas near the window, try these window box ideas.

You will need: mugs or small clay pots, small pebbles, potting mix, herb plants, a saucer.

How to make it: 1. Add an inch of pebbles to the bottom of each mug for drainage. 2. Fill with potting mix and plant one herb per mug. 3. Water when the top of the soil is dry and turn the pots each week for even growth.

Water Lily Stenciled Tea Towels as Gifts

The water lilies in the Giverny pond are the subject of Monet’s most famous paintings. A simple lily pad stencil turns plain cotton tea towels into gifts that look like they came from a museum shop. Use soft blue, green and pink fabric paint and dab it on with a sponge. Tie each set with jute cord and a sprig of evergreen. If you have a pile of worn towels, try these towel upcycles too.

You will need: plain white cotton tea towels, a lily pad stencil, fabric paint in blue, green and pink, a sponge dauber, jute cord.

How to make it: 1. Wash and iron the towels so the paint sticks well. 2. Tape the stencil in place and dab paint lightly with the sponge. 3. Let it dry, then iron on the back to set the paint before wrapping.

Frame a Water Garden Photo for the Breakfast Corner

If you have ever visited a lily pond, or even a local park with one, that photo deserves a frame in your kitchen. A big print of green water, lily pads and willows brings the calm of the Giverny garden to your morning coffee and finishes your Monet kitchen decor. Print it large at a photo shop and choose a simple gold or wood frame. Learn how to make your own picture frames if you want an even cheaper option.

You will need: a favorite pond or garden photo, a large print, a wood or gold frame, picture hanging wire, a level.

How to make it: 1. Crop the photo so the water and lily pads fill the frame. 2. Order a large matte print. 3. Frame it, add hanging wire and hang it above a small table or bench.

Monet Kitchen Decor in the Pantry: A Blue Shelf

Monet’s house had a storeroom just off the kitchen, and a painted pantry shelf is a fun way to nod to it. Paint a plain open shelf cornflower blue, then line it with clear jars of pasta, rice, beans and dried lavender. The food itself becomes the decor. Skip printed labels for a cleaner look. You will find more smart storage tips in these pantry ideas.

You will need: an open wooden shelf, sandpaper, cornflower blue paint, a small brush, clear jars with lids, dry goods.

How to make it: 1. Sand and wipe the shelf. 2. Paint two coats of blue and let it dry overnight. 3. Fill matching jars with pasta, rice and beans, and line them up from tallest to shortest.

Garden Flowers in a Simple Pitcher

Monet filled his rooms with flowers from his garden, and he planted it so something was always in bloom. A plain pitcher of fresh flowers on the table is the easiest Monet kitchen decor habit to copy. Grocery store bouquets work perfectly. Pull them apart and loosely arrange them so they look freshly cut from a garden. In December, see these holiday flower arrangements for festive ideas.

You will need: a clear or ceramic pitcher, a grocery store bouquet, floral snips, flower food.

How to make it: 1. Trim each stem at an angle under running water. 2. Fill the pitcher with cool water and flower food. 3. Add the tallest stems first, then fill in with shorter blooms for a loose, natural shape.

Monet Kitchen Decor for the Holidays: Citrus and Evergreen

When the holidays arrive, Monet kitchen decor gets even prettier. Lay a long runner of fresh evergreen down the middle of the table, then tuck in lemons, clementines and small blue and white bowls. Add yellow napkins and blue plates and the table looks like a French country magazine spread. It costs very little because most of it comes from the yard and the fruit bowl. See more Christmas centerpieces for extra inspiration.

You will need: evergreen branches, lemons, clementines, small blue and white bowls, yellow cloth napkins.

How to make it: 1. Lay the branches down the center of the table, overlapping the stems. 2. Nestle the bowls along the runner and fill a few with clementines. 3. Tuck lemons between the branches and fold a yellow napkin at each place.

Mix and Match Teacups for a Holiday Tea

A cozy tea time fits the Giverny style perfectly, especially when it is served on blue and white china. Mismatched teacups from yard sales make a lovely set when they share a blue color story. Stack them on a tray, add a pot of tea and some cookies, and invite friends over during the holidays. You can find teacups for a dollar or less if you know where to thrift. They also make sweet gifts filled with tea bags, a perfect wrap up for your Monet kitchen decor.

You will need: mismatched blue and white teacups and saucers, a wooden tray, a teapot, a small linen napkin.

How to make it: 1. Wash the cups in warm soapy water and dry them well. 2. Set a linen napkin on the tray and stack two or three cups in a short tower. 3. Add the teapot and a plate of cookies for an easy holiday tea.