Navy is one of those can’t-go-wrong paint colors if your goal is cozy. (According to this study, it’s also the most relaxing color, even reducing your heart rate. . . Maybe I should paint my repaint my kitchen top to bottom.) It might seem like a pretty straight forward choice until you start trying to find the right shade of blue and suddenly, there are hundreds of options. I’ve put together a quick list of great go-to navy blues and a few tips.
paint // art // bamboo shade // subway tile
- One reason that choosing navy can be tricky is that some shades can read purple in certain light. Don’t trust your computer screen! Case in point: we painted our boys’ bathroom this shade which looks way different in their small space than the online swatch.
- Pick up the actual swatch and live with it for a few days or better yet, grab a sample in store. You can always use it for other small projects.
- You can’t beat the combination of navy with crisp white trim and/or accents. It’s a classic, clean look.
- On the other hand, don’t let navy walls keep you from using black accents. This is totally acceptable, regardless of what the imaginary book of decorating laws might say.
I am a huge navy fan but I agree that you really have to try each shade in your space. I had planned on painting my dining room Hale Navy but ended up going with SW Naval instead. My room is north facing and the Hale Navy was too dark for the room…yet I have seen tons of spaces where it looks amazing. I am thrilled with the Naval I chose and the only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner! Have a great day!
Shelley
My favorite navy is Farrow and Ball Hague blue. It is a warm navy that looks pretty with ivory and taupe. It reminds me of Hale navy with some green dumped in!
Yes! Another great navy!
If you only knew how many color decisions I’ve made lately based on your post using black and navy! Talked my husband into painting our handrail and banister a high gloss black and we both love it. Now we’re painting our bar and dark blue (70’s house with a walk in bar) can’t wait to see how it turns out! Oh and our brick fireplace now white with a black firebox – again your inspiration photos sparked the change! Can’t thank you enough for all your great content and inspiration!
Love it! Thanks for sharing this :)
We painted our cozy little den Twilight Chimes from Behr and I love, love, love the color. It looks great with warm tones (Persian rugs, antiques), dark hardwood floors, and a pop of white trim. It’s beautiful in the sunlight and evening – not too cold at all.
I think that Naval by SW is the perfect navy blue. Our front door and some of our kitchen cabinets are naval, and we love it.
I’d like to add Sea Serpent – Sherwin Williams – is another great Navy! We used it in our dining room for our current house. And it was the navy selected by our designers for an accent wall in our new construction for the master bathroom!
I used Salty Dog, a Lowe’s SW color, for our kitchen island. It’s a bright navy, which works well for our darkish cabin. I paired it with cabinets painted in Loggia.
Navy has always been one of my favorite colors, but I think our current house is the first where I’ve used it so much.
If I have missed it I apologize. I would love an article about selecting white for walls as well as what color choice you should make for trim.
I bought a sample of SW Naval for my West facing Entry door and my family and I saw too much purple. What Navy do you suggest that has the least purple. I have already purchased all new black matte hardware. Thank you in advance.