16 Best Blue Paint Colors for a Refreshing Home Update

Ready for a color refresh? Here are the best blue paint colors to help you create a tranquil and inviting atmosphere in your home.

I’ve reached the age where whatever I think is on trend is regarded as hopelessly old-fashioned by all the teenagers around me. Fortunately for me, blue never goes out of style. Rather like Taylor Swift — it retains the top spot in home interior color choices.

Still, although blue remains timeless, the undertones and shades of blue change with trends.

The best light blue paint colors are Skipping Stones, Upward, Renew Blue, Bird’s Egg, Parma Gray, and Crystal River. Mid-toned blues include Thermal, Good Jeans, Amalfi, Atlantic Blue, and St Giles Blue. Blue Nova, Inchyra Blue, Symphony Blue, Hague Blue, and Brigand are the best dark blues.

The Enduring Popularity of Blue

Blue is the world’s favorite color, from Crayola-loving toddlers to marketers trying to sell apartments.

The reason lies in color psychology, with blue being the most soothing and tranquil of colors. It elicits positive emotions and induces relaxation and sleep. Set the tone of your interior with one of these gorgeous shades of blue.

Even someone as eye-rollingly dated as me knows that neon blue and navy aren’t fashionable anymore in this age of nature-inspired design. We’re moving towards watery and sky blues, deep blue-grays, and whimsical blue-greens.

Let’s look at which shades of blue are most popular for contemporary interiors.

The Best Light Blue Paint Colors

Pale blue is a nuanced color that evokes coastal tides, drizzly skies, and peaceful lakeside picnics. It’s the most popular shade of blue this year. At least three luxury paint brands chose it as their Color of the Year for 2024. Browse through the best light blue paint colors for this season’s favorites.

#1. Skipping Stones DET567 by Dunn Edwards

This breezy blue is Dunn Edwards’ Color of the Year for 2024. Skipping Stones is muted and sophisticated, a versatile, dreamy shade, and an upgrade on a childlike pastel or baby blue.

It’s perfect for serene bedrooms and looks gorgeous with light wood, warm whites, and natural textures in an organic modern scheme.

#2. Upward SW 6239 by Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams’ Color of the Year 2024 is Upward, a gray-toned blue with calming, gentle energy. Like your oldest pair of jeans, this color is a decor neutral. And it combines well with other neutrals, pastels, and darker blues in a coastal chic aesthetic.

Use this color for tranquil bedrooms or a peaceful home office. It’s also beautiful for wooden accents, like wainscoting or trim.

#3. Renew Blue 8003-37D by Valspar

Soft, sky blue is the perfect choice for the Color of the Year 2024, with the theme of natural renewal, growth, and sustainability foremost in our minds. This meditative color is versatile, balanced, and calm. And it looks beautiful in a contemporary kitchen with bright white.

Renew Blue also has a playfulness that is ideal for a charming nursery, bedroom, or bathroom with coastal accents — driftwood, seagrass, or jute.

#4. Bird’s Egg 2051-60 by Benjamin Moore

Clear aqua is as much on-trend as it is timeless, evoking the elegance of the iconic Tiffany blue. Choose this refined blue for an elegant bathroom or feminine bedroom. It also works perfectly for a Scandi kitchen, paired with warm red and crisp white.

#5. Parma Gray 27 by Farrow & Ball

Parma Gray is cool-toned blue-gray that you’ll recognize if you’re a fan of British costume dramas. It has a period, heritage feel for sophisticated contemporary interiors that are like a nod to the past but are otherwise on-trend.

I love this shade’s formal elegance, especially when paired with a bright white.

#6. Crystal River DE5778 by Dunn Edwards

While aqua and Eau de Nil were favorites of Art Deco and Art Nouveau designers, soft, green-toned blue remain popular and fresh. Crystal River’s cheerful minty blue works perfectly with minimalist interiors but is equally at home in a charming kitchen or laundry room.

The Best Medium Blue Paint Colors

Mid-toned blues are just as tranquil as their paler cousins but add a bit more of a punch to your interior. They’re versatile and look good with most palettes and aesthetics.

#7. Thermal C2-752 by C2

Thermal is another Color of the Year for 2024. It’s a blue as fresh and bright as a fall sky that can’t fail to lift your mood. While bold colors seem an unexpected choice for modern minimalism, this blue is the perfect backdrop to pared-back interiors.

#8. Good Jeans by Clare

This gorgeous rich blue adds depth and interest to a neutral color scheme, updating it with a natural color for this season. Earthy blues and greens elevate browns to eco-chic without looking rustic.

#9. Amalfi SW 6783 by Sherwin-Williams

Add some Mediterranean flair to your home with this bright blue that is an instant mood-lifter. If you want to create some vacation punch, remembering a holiday in Italy or the Greek islands, use Amalfi as an accent shade. Current trends balance bolder colors with neutrals.

#10. Atlantic Blue 600F-6 by Behr

This clear, vivid blue is my new obsession. It’s versatile and soothing and belongs everywhere. Transform a light-starved, north-facing room by washing it with the color of the sea and sky. And add yellow accents for extra warmth. It’s also perfect for masculine and sophisticated gray and crisp white bedrooms.

#11. St Giles Blue 280 by Farrow & Ball

Okay, I admit this color doesn’t seem modern, seeing as it was inspired by an English Stately home in Dorset, England. But hear me out. You’ll be delighted by this fresh, optimistic color that feels so contemporary and shines with other bold hues. Try it out on an accent piece and enjoy its whimsical charm.

The Best Dark Blue Paint Colors

Darker blues are so lush and moody that they create an entirely different ambiance to light and mid-toned shades. Ranging from navy to blue-gray and blue-black, these warm, stormy colors add depth and drama to your home.

#12. Blue Nova 825 by Benjamin Moore

Yet another blue shade that’s Color the Year, Blue Nova is a rich, earthy blue. One of this season’s trends is to blend modern and traditional styles. And Blue Nova is the ideal color for anchoring eclectic and contemporary Boho interiors.

#13. Inchyra Blue 289 by Farrow & Ball

One of Farrow & Ball’s most popular blue shades, Inchyra Blue glows blue, gray, or green, depending on the light. Its inspiration comes from the Scottish Highlands. So it blends well with Heathery greens, purples, and burnt oranges.

What I Ilike ablout Inchyra Blue is that it never feels cold, even in a light-starved or north-facing room. It’s the perfect modern alternative to navy.

#14. Symphony Blue 2060-10 by Benjamin Moore

This stunning marine blue is saturated with color, making it shine like a jewel. Ideal for soothing, meditative bedrooms, Symphony Blue sings against darker colors and soft whites and grays. Instead of making a space look smaller, as dark colors often can, this blue is as expansive as the ocean.

#15. Hague Blue 30 by Farrow & Ball

This formal, sophisticated blue has a rich gray undertone that changes with the light. Its elegance makes Hague Blue perfect for a glamorous dining or luxurious living room. However, this blue is so full of character that it looks comfortable in a home office or kitchen cabinets with brass hardware.

#16. Bridgand C2-757 by C2

This dark blue reads almost black but shines like a glossy beetle in some lights. It’s mysterious and inviting, ready for a sultry boudoir or masculine powder room.

Final Thoughts

Several high-end paint brands, including Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Dunn Edwards, and Valspar, chose shades of blue as their Color of the Year 2024. Blue remains both on-trend and classic, with lighter sky and intense slate blues most popular for interiors.

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