If you’re looking for just the right blue paint for your home, look no further! Here are the top 15 blue paint colors to help you find the perfect shade!
Blue is classic. It can be soft, bold, neutral, or stormy. The blue color family is one of the most popular when it comes to paint colors, but, as a family, it can be tricky to get right.
When referring to color psychology, blue symbolizes tranquility, reliability, and serenity. And because blue is the color of the sky and the ocean, it’s also the color of openness and stability.
No wonder so many people (including me!) love it.
In fact, blue is such a staple in our home that we used it when we did our big bedroom makeover.
Is blue a popular interior paint color?
Yes, blue is a very popular interior paint color because there are so many options for shades.
The span is huge and covers pale blue, baby blue, medium blue, electric blue, royal blue, blue-gray, navy blue, and blue-black.
Each type of blue imparts its own energy into a room (from energetic to calming), offering nearly infinite design possibilities.
That’s probably why so many interior designers regularly suggest blue for walls.
FAQs about Blue Paint
Is there a warm blue paint color?
Yes! Well, sort of. Blue paints are naturally cool-leaning colors. However, there are shades of blue paint that contain more yellow undertones.
If blue gives you the chills, look for one of these paint colors to offer the tranquility that blue provides without the coolness.
What colors pair well with blue?
This question isn’t as easy to answer as it seems because the blue paint family offers a huge variety of hues. In general, blues pair well with neutral colors such as black, white, brown, and gray.
Beyond that, here’s a basic guide to help inspire you when looking for color pairings:
Yellow
Pink
Peach
Red
Cream
Orange
Purple
Green
Coral
Where can I use blue paint colors?
Anywhere! Consider using blue paint for your:
Walls
Ceilings
Accent walls
Cabinets
Built-ins
Accent decor (ex: fireplaces)
Furniture
Home exteriors
How Different Types of Lighting Affect Blue Paint
Paint colors contain undertones due to the paint color mixing process. This is why different types of lighting impact the appearance of colors.
Warm-tinted lighting enhances warm tones and mutes cooler tones. On the other end of the spectrum, cool-tinted lighting enhances cool tones while muting warm tones.
Depending on its undertones, blue can be a color shifter. If that’s the case, you’ll see it change in how it reads throughout the day as the light shifts.
Generally speaking, though, you can expect blue paint to look darker and muted (slightly grayer) in cool-toned or passive lighting. Conversely, warm lighting will brighten blue up so that it reads lighter but (usually) bluer.
Great Coordinating Colors for Blue Paint
If you’re searching for a few reliable standbys to pair with blue paint, I have some suggestions.
Note: it’s ALWAYS important to check paint colors against each other to make sure they pair the way you want them to before committing to them and spending $$$. Samplize paint swatches are a GREAT way to see how paint colors appear in your home (as the light shifts) and with each other.
- Benjamin Moore Pure White – warm white that can lean slightly greige.
- Benjamin Moore Super White – a bright, crisp, clean white.
- Sherwin Willliams Kilim Beige – a warm, mid-toned beige.
- Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black – deep, bold, neutral black.
- Benjamin Moore Sea Salt – a warm light beige with slight gray undertones.
- Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan – a warm mid-toned tan with brown undertones.
- Sherwin Williams Snowbound – clean and neutral white that leans slightly cool.
- Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron – a dark, almost black neutral with blue undertones.
- Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White – bright neutral white that leans cool.
- Sherwin Williams Iron Ore – rich, deep gray that acts neutral.
- Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray – a light to mid-toned beige with slight gray undertones.
15 Great Blue Paint Colors for Your Home
Ok, let’s check out some of the top blue paint choices! This list includes a mix of colors that I regularly recommend as well as colors that other designers put at the top of their recommendations lists.
I’m only including a few of the most popular blue shades to help prevent overwhelming you with too many choices. However, if you don’t see a blue you love on this list, there are many other options available!
And if you’re really focused on navy blue, then check out our list of the top 13 navy blue paint colors here.
Sheen note: Picking the right color is only winning the battle, not the war. Remember to pick the right paint finish, or sheen, also! Read up on what you need to know about picking the perfect paint sheen.
1. Benjamin Moore Mediterranean Sky
Kristina Crestin Design chose this airy and playful blue paint from Benjamin Moore. It’s paired with Benjamin Moore White (OC-151) for the upper cabinets, trim, and ceiling.
Notice how the color can shift just in this one image. Although the main cabinets look bright sky blue, the island displays slight purple and gray undertones. (Photo credit: Jared Kuzia, General Contractor: Curran Construction). Head to her Instagram post for the rest of the details on this space.
Here’s Benjamin Moore Hale Navy painted as a fun ceiling accent color for our dressing room renovation. Hale Navy is a super popular shade that leans gray-blue.
I love it for an accent color, and in my opinion a ceiling accent is always a great (and sadly forgotten) place to take advantage of a fun, bold paint color.
3. Behr Cloudy Sky
This shade is a pale blue with strong gray undertones to mute the blue and soften the overall color.
It pairs well with brown and sand-colored tones in this bedroom from Making Home Base.
4. Behr Blue Opal
I have to give a shoutout to a particular favorite of mine, Blue Opal by Behr.
This pretty blue practically screams tranquility. So much so that it’s the blue shade I chose to paint my own room when I tackled our master bedroom makeover!
5. Sherwin Williams Indigo Batik
Indigo Batik is a blue that we also use and love in our own home. In our son’s room, Indigo Batik was used to create a denim-look paint finish, that we swear by.
I know that hearing the term “faux paint” can often elicit pictures of 1990’s sponge-painting nightmare, but trust me when I tell you that there are some faux techniques that are gorgeous.
6. Benjamin Moore Kensington Blue
Nicole Dodell used Kensington Blue in a little boy’s room, and I think it just might be the perfect shade of blue paint.
Without any obvious undertones, it’s just a classic, clean navy blue. And it’s perfect for an aviation-themed room!
7. Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue
Palladian Blue is one of Benjamin Moore’s most popular blue paints, and it’s easy to see why. This light, cheery blue has some green undertones and a hint of gray to soften everything up.
With all of that going on, it’s definitely a color-shifter! Palladian Blue is showing a bit more of its blue-green qualities in this stunning laundry room from Rachel Larson, but there are times when it can look like more of a true blue.
The other paint colors in this space include Chantilly Lace (trim), and Classic Gray (walls).
8. Sherwin Williams Sea Salt
Super popular Sherwin Williams Sea Salt often appears more green than blue.
But bright natural lighting like that seen here in Two Twenty One‘s master bedroom can draw out the blue tones.
Here, Sea Salt looks pretty in pale blue and lends a subtle feminine quality while still acting neutral.
Fun fact: The World’s Favourite Colour Project was a large scientific study that sought to determine which color is the most popular and how different colors made people feel. The findings? Navy blue is the most calming and relaxing hue.
If you’re searching for an ideal navy, Sherwin Williams Naval might be a great fit. This classic and clean navy looks dramatic and crisp when paired with a bright white.
This navy can help create a beautiful timeless space, like the one below from Thistlewood Farms.
10. Benjamin Moore Santa Monica Blue
Check out Tracy Tesmer‘s kitchen remodel using Santa Monica Blue as an eye-catching medium-toned energetic blue paint for the kitchen island.
This shade pops so well against the white perimeter cabinets (painted SW Extra White).
11. Benjamin Moore Champion Cobalt
Cobalt blues often have a little bit of a green undertone to give them a hint of teal color.
I think Britnie Harlow made an inspired choice to use Champion Cobalt as a deep teal-leaning navy on this display wall.
It’s the perfect color to tie all of these pieces together AND allow them to stand out and shine too!
12. Benjamin Moore Buckland Blue
It’s been said that adding a new coat of paint to a room is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to freshen up a room or change your decor.
At Home with the Barkers put that to the test by painting their dining room in Buckland Blue, and the results are in: this energetic mid-toned blue paint breathed new life into the room!
13. Benjamin Moore Yarmouth Blue
Check out these light, airy blue cabinets that look absolutely perfect in this laundry room from Lacy Phillips Designs.
There’s nothing like a cool, crisp blue for a room that’s all about keeping things clean. (Photo credit: Laurey Glenn)
14. Sherwin Williams Tradewind
SW Tradewind is a beautiful, cool blue that leans into the blue-green range in certain light. It could be described as stormy…but in a serene way.
This bedroom from Newport Lane Blog is a great example of this shade at work!
15. Benjamin Moore Tranquility
BM Tranquility is a light blue with a touch of gray to make it soft and neutral, as you can see in this amazing kitchen nook from Deboever Interiors.
This beautiful, versatile shade adds a hint of color but lets bolder colors, or in this case, wallpaper, take center stage. In case you were curious, the coordinating white paint in this space is SW Pure White.
16. Benjamin Moore Smoke
This shade is perfect for coastal-themed decor.
Nesting Place Interiors sure has a stunning kitchen here, right? I love how the Smoke-painted island ties into the glass-tiled wall behind the shelves. (Photo credit: @jessiepreza).
Whether you’re looking for a hue to soften a room or something bold to energize a space, there’s a blue paint for that! I hope you found a shade of blue on this list that will transform your space into the entertaining hub or the peaceful retreat you crave.
Be sure to grab some Samplize paint samples to see how your favorite shades will behave in your home before committing to them.
Pin these blue paint colors for later. Use one? Leave a comment on the pin. That helps others decide whether they’d like to try that color, too!
Ready to show those boring, beige walls who’s the boss at home? Grab my free guide to help you sidestep the mistakes that almost everyone makes when it comes to picking paint! You’ll be on your way to perfect paint promptly…pinky swear.
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