By Michelle Marceny, Certified Color Expert and founder of The Color Concierge
We get frequent requests in our color consulting practice for blue exterior paint colors and they are gorgeous! Over the years, we’ve come to think of several hues as the best exterior blue paint colors out there – and today we’re sharing them with you!
I lived across the street from a blue house for 20 years, and I enjoyed the color more than the homeowners did because I saw it every time I looked out the window.
Dark paint colors are having a moment right now, but I still consider them timeless and classic. Keep in mind that exterior paint colors are always 4-5 times lighter and more colorful when you take them outside. It is always critical to test your paint color to see how it behaves in your lighting.
While there are many options if you want a dark exterior color palette, one of the great benefits to blue paint colors is that they look great with red brick, yellow brick, and most warm stone colors.
Keep reading to learn more about painting your exterior blue and to explore our favorite blue exterior paint colors from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams.
About The Color Concierge
Our Colorado-based paint color consultants make finding the right paint colors for your home easy. Whether you’re painting the exterior or interior of your home, our simple yet effective process lets us get your paint color right the first time. We’ve helped thousands of homeowners transform their homes into a space they love. Learn more about ONLINE COLOR CONSULTATIONS today.
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16 Best Blue Exterior Paint Colors (According to a Professional Paint Color Consultant)
Get a quick glimpse at the best blue exterior paint colors below, and then keep reading to learn more about choosing blue paint colors and complementary hues for trim and front doors.
Sample Blue Exterior Paint Colors
- Benjamin Moore Brewster Gray
- Sherwin-Williams Slate Tile
- Benjamin Moore Ocean Floor
- Benjamin Moore Stormy Sky
- Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent
- Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue
- Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace
- Benjamin Moore Westcott Navy
- Benjamin Moore Thousand Oceans
- Sherwin-Williams Debonair
- Sherwin-Williams Foggy Day
- Sherwin-Williams Grays Harbor
- Sherwin-Williams Needlepoint Navy
- Sherwin-Williams Languid Blue
Learn more about all these paint colors and see them on real exteriors further down in this post. But first, let’s talk about why blue exterior paint is so popular and how to choose the right blue paint color for your home.
Is Blue a Good Color for Exteriors?
The color you paint your house is a very personal choice. But as a color consultant, I think that blue exterior paint is one of the best options out there – especially if you’re looking for a dark exterior color palette.
Blue paint colors are so versatile, and there are so many variations of blue that you’re sure to find the one that looks best with your home and its surroundings.
Understanding Blue Exterior Paint Colors
Before you choose a blue exterior color for your home, it’s important to understand blue paint colors and their undertones.
There are two main types of blue paints based on their undertones: blue-greens and blue-violets. Blue paint colors with green undertones are warmer than blues with violet undertones. You can see this difference in the graphic below, comparing Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent (blue-green) with Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue (blue-violet).
It’s also common to find blue paint colors that have a lot of gray in them. While these paint colors still have either a green or violet undertone, they appear a lot more muted in place because of the addition of gray tones in the color.
How to Choose Blue Exterior Paint Colors
Understanding the undertones at play in blue paint colors is important when it comes to finding the right blue for your home. But it’s not the only thing to think about.
Here are some of the most important things to consider when choosing the best blue exterior paint colors for your home:
Your Location
I’ve already mentioned that colors can look 4-5x brighter outdoors than they look indoors, but this is especially true in locations with high-altitude or Southern locations with lots of bright sunlight. Keep in mind your geographic location when choosing a blue paint color.
Your Neighborhood
While you don’t want your home to match the neighbors exactly, it does make sense to ensure your house fits in with the overall look of the neighborhood. If you have an HOA, this might even be a requirement.
Your Home’s Style
Consider the style and architecture of your home when choosing a blue exterior paint color, and choose one that will highlight your home’s unique architectural details. This post on Victorian exterior color palettes, for example, may benefit from a few different shades of blue to help bring out smaller design elements.
Your Environment
Pay attention to the natural landscape around your home. If your home is surrounded by lush greenery, a blue-green paint color could complement the plants. If your home is located in a dry region with less greenery, on the other hand, you may prefer a blue-violet exterior color.
Your Complementary Colors
Consider the trim, accent and front door paint colors you’re considering for your home when choosing a blue exterior hue. It’s important that all the colors work together to create a cohesive exterior color palette.
Your Samples
Don’t forget to sample all the paint colors you’re considering! This is always important for any project, but especially critical for using blue exterior paint colors. The way the color looks outdoors can be very different from how it looks online and even on a painted color swatch indoors.
Should I sample my exterior paint colors?
As part of the paint collection process, we always recommend sampling paint colors at the project location. Check out our paint color testing blog for best practices.
I use these samples in my color consulting practice for exact results. Discover Samplize peel-and-stick paint samples via the link below.
16 Best Blue Paint Colors for Exteriors
Explore all our top picks for the best blue exterior paint colors, including blue paint colors for red brick and other stone.
Dark Blue Exterior Paint Colors
Benjamin Moore Hale Navy HC-154
Hale Navy is an iconic navy blue. It is a complex dark blue with muted gray tones. When you see the paint color on a swatch it looks black and boring but outside it is rich, blue, and sophisticated. The house below uses BM Pale Oak for the white trim color and gorgeous BM Caliente for the front door.
Learn about BM Hale Navy in this color review article. We show several project spotlights. It is simply beautiful!
The photo below is south-facing. It is much more colorful and lighter than the following north-facing image, even though the photos were taken at the same time.
The photo below is north-facing and much darker.
Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace (SW 7076)
SW Cyberspace is a blue-black that looks silky dark blue-gray and rich outside. It is darker than Hale Navy and one of our favorites with a red brick, thanks to its warm green undertones!
This house was transformed in this Cyberspace paint color review, with BM Chelsea Gray trim and a bright green BM Split Pea front door. The door ties in with the foliage on the foothill backdrop. Chelsea Gray looks lighter than expected because of the bright high-altitude sun.
In the project below, Cyberspace is paired with a creamy white, SW Westhighland White (SW 7566) for the trim. Read more about this exterior palette to discover why Cyberspace is one of the best blue paint colors for red brick homes.
Sherwin-Williams Outerspace (SW 6251)
SW Outerspace is a gorgeous color as seen on the house below. It is one of the colors that looks much more vivid outside than it does on a swatch or inside.
Outerspace is fairly muted, but still looks warm outdoors, especially when paired with warm white trim and other warm colors.
White trim color matches Zurich White (SW 7626) and shingles to SW Safari (SW 7697). Dark blues look amazing with yellow beiges such as Safari. The front door is Grizzle Gray (SW 7068).
BM Ocean Floor (1630)
This is one of our favorite blue palettes. Our client already had a white house and they wanted to keep their trim and garage door white. They removed their shutters and painted the siding with BM Ocean Floor and it looks epic!
Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent
In this project article, SW Sea Serpent is a blue paint color with green undertones, which gives it a beautiful touch of warmth. It’s one of my favorite navy blue paint colors because it doesn’t feel too cold – just deep, dark, and beautiful.
We love to use Sea Serpent as an exterior paint color, especially with a darker white trim color or red brick exterior accents.
The red brick house pictured below was completely transformed with SW Sea Serpent siding and SW Egret White trim.
You can also use a Sea Serpent front door and shutters with lighter palettes.
Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue
Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue is a dark blue with cool undertones. The painter we worked with on the house pictured below called it a blurple!
It’s similar to Benjamin Moore Hale Navy, but much cooler. It is similarly muted, however, with plenty of gray in it. It’s a really flexible color and looks great with red brick, warm stone, or cool stone thanks to its violet undertones.
The Charcoal Blue color palette we designed truly brought this new-build home to life!
Benjamin Moore Westcott Navy
Westcott Navy by Benjamin Moore is a deep, muted navy blue. It’s really more of a dark gray with strong blue undertones but outside in the bright sunshine its blue undertones are more obvious.
We used Westcott Navy in this project spotlight, and it is a cool paint color thanks to its cool violet undertones. Because it is so muted, the color is softened a bit so it won’t risk looking too cool even in the bright sunlight.
This is a beautiful color for a home with lots of greenery, such as the gorgeous home below. It brings a modern touch to this historic home. It was nice to paint with a cooler blue because the green folliage reflects off the house to warm up the color.
We used Benjamin Moore Seashell for the exterior trim on this home. Seashell is a warm, off-white paint color with subtle green undertones that looks white outdoors. It pairs perfectly with BM Westcott Navy in this palette.
Medium Blue Exterior Paint Colors
Benjamin Moore Brewster Gray
This sweet brick house was painted with BM Brewster Gray, a mid-toned blue-gray that looks like a light blue outside with the perfect amount of mutedness to pair with the red brick. We used Edgecomb Gray for the trim, Black Jack for the shutters, and BM Cottage Red for the front door.
It is just gorgeous!
Sherwin-Williams Slate Tile (SW 6251)
SW Slate Tile is a rich, vivid mid-toned paint color that looks beautiful on exteriors. It looks much more muted on the swatch and inside than it does outdoors, where it looks bluer and warmer.
This home has warm stone and is paired with a warm white vinyl trim that matched SW White Duck (SW 7010). This exterior is bright and happy.
Benjamin Moore Stormy Sky (1616)
If Hale Navy is too dark for you, then BM Stormy Sky is a great compromise. It is muted enough to stay subtle and sophisticated, but lighter and softer. The sweet little cottage below it is paired with BM Classic Gray and white trim, plus a BM Storm light blue-gray front door. Note that BM Classic Gray (OC-23) looks so much darker inside, and outside it is a lovely soft white because of the bright sunshine.
Stormy Sky also works well as a secondary color when paired with Hale Navy, as shown in this project spotlight, in a monochromatic paint scheme. Stormy Sky is the garage siding color, contrasted with a Hale Navy garage door and main house. The fence was previously painted blue-gray.
Benjamin Moore Thousand Oceans
Benjamin Moore Thousand Oceans is a medium warm blue perfect for historic homes. If you want a brighter, bolder blue that still looks good in a neighborhood of more classic homes, this is a beautiful choice.
Our client’s home featured below was built in 1897 within a historic district. It’s a Queen Anne Victorian project with unique architectural features that really make it stand out.
The new owners wanted a more elegant, sophisticated design that felt contemporary while still blending with their historic neighborhood (including neighboring red brick houses).
The end result was a gorgeous exterior color palette featuring BM Thousand Oceans for the siding and paired with Forest Brown and Hale Navy accents and BM White Dove trim. We usually don’t recommend White Dove as a trim color because the sun can make it look stark. For this project, it was perfect because of the shady lot, and proximity in the far North of the United States.
Sherwin-Williams Foggy Day
Sherwin-Williams Foggy Day (Sample) is one of my favorite blue-gray exterior paint colors. It’s a gorgeous deep blue color muted with plenty of gray. It looks colorful in the bright sun without being overwhelming.
On the client’s home pictured below (via Photoshop rendering), SW Foggy Day is used on the scalloped siding details and paired with SW Sea Serpent (Article) Arti siding on the lower part of the house.
Two of our favorite blue exterior paint colors in one palette? It doesn’t get any better than this!
Sherwin-Williams Grays Harbor
This project spotlight shows SW Grays Harbor as a gorgeous, deep slate blue with subtle warm green undertones. Its warmth makes it perfect for pairing with red brick, as we did for our client’s home pictured below.
We picked Grays Harbor because it looked so great with the brick. A SW Sommelier front door was a near match with the brick and pulled out the burgundy color in the variegated roof.
We added some lightness to the dark palette by using Sherwin-Williams Nuance on the trim and columns and Sherwin-Williams Stamped Concrete on the column collars.
Best Light Blue Paint Colors for Exteriors
Sherwin-Williams Debonair
Sherwin-Williams Debonair is another great option for a lighter blue exterior paint color. We especially love this hue for a Victorian home!
Debonair is a gorgeous, cool blue-gray paint color that looks brighter than you’d expect outdoors. But because it is so muted, it won’t glow in the sunshine like some other light blue hues.
The client’s home featured below, built in the Denver area in 1891, also includes touches of gold metal paint at the top of the columns, deep maroon trim, and navy blue accent.
Sherwin-Williams Languid Blue (SW6226)
If you’re looking for a coastal blue exterior color palette, Sherwin-Williams Languid Blue is a beautiful option. It’s a fairly muted blue paint color so it works really well outdoors in the bright sunshine.
On the client’s coastal Victorian home pictured below, we paired SW Languid Blue (Sample) with SW Labradorite (Sample) for a two-toned blue body color that really stands out.
Best Blue Paint Colors for Red Brick Houses
Most dark blue paint colors look lovely paired with red brick. It’s just such a classic combination! But we do have a couple favorites to pair with brick, including Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent and Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace.
Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent (Color review article) looks absolutely beautiful on this Denver home in the Photoshop rendering below that we created for a client.
Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace (Color review article)looks really lovely on the home below, where it’s paired with warm, red brick and lots of surrounding greenery.
Best Blue Paint for Cool Gray Stone
I’ve been exploring paint colors for my own home, which includes a cool gray stone exterior, and I love the combination of blue-gray siding with the stone.
The Photoshop rendering below showcases Sherwin-Williams Needlepoint Navy paired with the gray stone. It offers just enough warmth and complements the stone beautifully.
Best Exterior Trim Paint Colors with Blue Paint
The best trim colors paired with dark blues are light neutrals such as Benjamin Moore Classic Gray (OC-23)(Color review article) and Pale Oak (OC-20) (Color review article), Ballet White (OC-9), and Sherwin-Williams Shoji White (SW 7042), Natural Choice (SW 7011), White Duck (SW 7010) and Zurich White (SW 7626).
Resist the use of a clean or bright white paint color for trim because it will look too bright and harsh. Creamy whites may look yellowish; if you want a creamy trim color try Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray (HC-173).
Best Front Door Paint Colors for Blue Houses
You can use almost any color for front doors on blue houses. We love red, orange, green, white, black, blue-gray, and warm wood stains for blue houses. We note each of them in the photos below, but these are two of our favorites.
The following Split Pea front door might seem way too bright, but check out how that almost-fluorescent green ties in with the foliage, and the light color reveals the beautiful carvings. It looks amazing with SW Cyberspace.
This is one of my favorite doors. The color is BM Redstone with Stormy Sky board-and-batten siding. Read more about the project in this post.
Key Learning Points
We love dark blue exterior paint colors – they are beautiful and flexible too!
- Blue exterior colors look great in wooded lots and with warm stone or red brick.
- Choose your blue exterior color carefully, considering your home’s architectural details, lighting, surrounding neighborhood, and environment.
- Consider a colorful front door or a classic wood door with warm undertones to pair with a blue exterior color palette.
Please always test your paint colors. Check out or guidelines to test your paint colors here.
We also strongly discourage our clients from matching colors between paint companies. See results from paint matching here.
Online Color Consulting
If you still need help with paint colors, check out our Online Color Consulting Packages.
Related Posts
- Six Exterior Paint Color Combos (and how to pick them)
- 6 More Palettes for Red Brick Houses
- The Best Exterior Paint Colors for Red Brick Homes (and what not to do)
- Mid-Mod Exterior Paint Colors Reveal Hidden Treasure
- SW Sea Serpent Paint Color Review
- Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace Paint Color Review
- SW Charcoal Blue Exterior Color Review
- Grays Harbor SW Exterior Project Spotlight
About the Author
Hi, I’m Michelle Marceny, founder, owner, and Principal Color Designer at The Color Concierge. I believe a fresh coat of paint can completely transform a space. The Color Concierge was born out of my drive to help clients fall back in love with their homes. My clients trust me to help them find the perfect paint color — whether that’s a whole-house color scheme or ideas for a single room.
Since founding The Color Concierge in 2017, my team and I have completed 1,000s of color consultations, online and in person. I’m a Certified Color Expert with nine years of experience creating interior and exterior color palettes throughout North America.
Every color review on this site comes from colors we’ve specified in real homes and photographed on location during our own consultations — not from a fan deck or a manufacturer’s website.
We love your comments! Please note that the blog is meant as general advice, and we can’t provide specific answers to your paint questions. If you want more specific advice, our Online Color Consultations will help you pick your paint colors. Thank you for your understanding.
14 Responses
I like to see exterior paints, like powder blue, just blue, well Im not quite too good with colours but when I see it I will tell that it is ok
Thank you for your feedback!
Hello,
I just wondered what “white” trim color you used on the Denver house rendering? Sea Serpent siding and…?
Thank you
What’s a good shutter and front door color when the house color is very dark navy blue? The wood porch and decking will be stained cedar color. Thank you
Hi Deb,
We would need to see your house to make a recommendation. Please consider purchasing one of our online color consulting packages.
Thanks,
Michelle
What is the color of the fist house pictured? I can’t find any info about it.
Hale Navy! Its the guest house/garage for the other Hale Navy House.
The trim is a very creamy white, and that was already in place. I’d say its something like BM Manchester tan. The green color is BM Ashwood Moss, and the purple is BM Tulsa Twilight.
I have navy blue siding with white trim. The roof is black metal. Should the soffit and fascia be black to match the roof, or white to match the window and door trim?
It is difficult for me to tell without seeing the house and the colors. Please consider purchasing an “Ask a Question” consultation.
Thanks,
Michelle
I have a maroon metal roof and wanted to go with a dark grey or grey/blue color trimmed in white?? This is a large house with a very large wrap around porch. My first time picking colors for a house exterior and not sure what I should do.
Hi Carol,
Please consider a color consultation. Its hard to give advice without seeing photos, and that is how we fund the blog and make a living.
Omg, surprised you didn’t include SW Mount Etna! We are painting our house with it now, it’s beautiful. Deciding door color, thinking we will do SW Urbane Bronze, but I have been known to change….. ?
Trim is alabaster!