Looking for the best navy blue paint colors for your next interior or exterior project? We’ve tested dozens of navy blue hues over the years in our paint color consulting practice, but have narrowed our favorites down to just 7 colors. Keep reading to simplify your search process and find the best navy blue for your home.
Navy blue is a truly timeless and classic color. I think of it almost as a dark neutral, because it can pair with so many other hues and finishes, and can be used in a wide variety of applications.
But every navy blue paint color is unique and finding the right one for your home can be overwhelming. In this guide, we’re breaking down our seven favorites and how to use them – with real-world photos from our client projects to inspire your next paint project.
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What Color Is Navy Blue?
Navy blue paint colors are typically considered warm, dark blues – often with slight green undertones. Of course, there are exceptions, and some navy blue hues are cooler or more muted than others.
Can you use navy blue interior paint?
Yes, we love to use navy blue for interior accents! It looks gorgeous as a lower cabinet paint color in a tuxedo kitchen cabinet palette, a kitchen island hue or even a bathroom vanity. We also love to use navy blue colors for accent walls and even interior front doors for a pop of color that won’t overwhelm a space.
Can you use navy blue exterior paint?
Absolutely! Using navy blue exterior paint is one of our favorite applications for this dark hue. Navy colors look brighter and warmer in the sunshine and give a home a timeless, classic look. We’ve used navy blue paint for siding, exterior doors, and even porch ceilings!
Sample The Best Navy Blue Paint Colors
We always recommend that you test paint colors (Article) in your home because lighting can completely change a color, both on interiors and exteriors.
In the old days, this meant we painted a large poster board with sample pots and a huge mess.
Now we have a better way to test paint, with Samplize Peel-and-Stick samples!
- Samples pre-painted with 2 coats of real paint from the manufacturer.
- Large 9” x 14” samples to see the color better in the lighting.
- Delivered overnight
- Colors are accurate
- Less expensive than painting a large poster board with sample pots
- No mess, and no toxic paint to dispose of
I use these in my color consulting practice for exact results. Discover Samplize peel-and-stick paint samples and sample all your favorite exterior house colors via the link below.
7 Best Navy Blue Paint Colors and How to Use Them
Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (Article) is one of the most popular navy blue paint colors on the market – and it’s popular among our clients, too! With an LRV of 8, Hale Navy is a deep blue, slightly muted paint color with subtle green undertones.
In some spaces, Hale Navy (Sample) could look black and be too overpowering. But in the right light, it can truly shine on the walls. Our favorite application for Hale Navy is for exteriors, but it also looks great as an accent for interiors, too.
In the client’s home below, for example, we used a Hale Navy kitchen island to add a pop of color to the Benjamin Moore White Dove (Article) cabinets.
As an exterior paint color, Hale Navy is very versatile. We used a Hale Navy front door with a Hepplewhite Ivory exterior color scheme (Article) on the home pictured below.
On another client’s home, Hale Navy is a beautiful and classic siding color.
Sherwin-Williams Needlepoint Navy
Sherwin-Williams Needlepoint Navy (Sample) is another beautiful navy blue hue. It’s lighter and warmer than Hale Navy, with stronger green undertones and an LRV of 13.
We love using Needlepoint Navy as an exterior blue paint color that looks bright and colorful in the sun. The Photoshop rendering below, for example, showcases Sherwin-Williams Needlepoint Navy paired with the gray stone.
Needlepoint Navy is also light enough that it won’t risk looking black indoors. We’ve used this hue for a variety of accent walls in clients’ homes.
We added SW Needlepoint Navy built-in shelves to the SW Greek Villa (Article) office pictured below.
The dining room pictured below uses a similar color palette (Article), with Sherwin-Williams Needlepoint Navy walls and Sherwin-Williams Pure White shiplap wainscoting.
Sherwin-Williams Waterloo
Sherwin-Williams Waterloo (Article) is a gorgeous, jewel-toned navy blue paint color. It has such strong green undertones, I’d actually consider this more of a blue-green hue. While it looks dark on the swatch, Waterloo exterior paint looks surprisingly bright in the sunshine, with an LRV of 13.
If you want a blue exterior paint color (Article) that won’t feel overly moody or too dark, Waterloo (Sample) could be a great option. It looks gorgeous with a bold, colorful front door paint, like SW Gambol Gold, SW Stolen Kiss or SW Mystic Grape, and also pairs well with warm finishes like brick and stone.
The gorgeous cottage-style house below was completely transformed by SW Waterloo exterior paint.
Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent
Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent (Article) is a dark, muted navy blue paint color that looks beautiful with red brick or warm stone colors and can also be used as an interior accent color.
It’s warm, with slight green undertones and an LRV of 7. Indoors, this color is nice in rooms with tons of natural or artificial light. If you don’t have enough light, it could risk looking black.
Like most of the best navy blue paint colors we’re featuring today, however, our favorite use of Sea Serpent (Sample) is as exterior paint. The first time I saw a house painted this color, I pulled over and looked for the color in my Sherwin-Williams sample deck because it was just so gorgeous!
This red brick house was completely transformed with SW Sea Serpent for the siding and SW Egret White (Article) for the trim. You can also use a Sea Serpent front door and shutters with lighter palettes.
Benjamin Moore Westcott Navy
Benjamin Moore Westcott Navy (Article) is a softer take on a classic navy blue paint color. It’s deep and very muted, with an LRV of 9.87.
Westcott Navy is so muted, in fact, that I actually consider this hue a dark gray with strong blue undertones, rather than a traditional blue paint color. In some lights, it looks very gray, while in others (including outdoors in the bright sunlight), its blue undertones are more obvious.
Because Westcott Navy (Sample) is so dark, I recommend using it as an accent color for interiors, ideally in rooms with lots of light. If you use it in a room that is too shady or with low light, it can look black. This color would be fabulous as an island or lower cabinet color, or as an accent wall where you want a black that is softer and cooler.
As an exterior hue, Westcott Navy is gorgeous! The gorgeous Denver home below came to life with a Benjamin Moore Westcott Navy exterior color scheme. It stands out beautifully next to all of the greenery around the home and brings a modern touch to this historic home.
Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace
Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace (Article) is the darkest navy blue paint color featured in this round-up. And while you might think that would make this color difficult to work with, it’s actually incredibly versatile.
We’ve used Cyberspace (Sample) in many of our paint color consulting projects, from interior accent walls and kitchen cabinets to exterior front doors and even siding.
The LRV of Cyberspace paint is 6, and it has deep charcoal undertones that help make the color feel muted despite its dark hue.
Painted cabinets are one of the best ways to incorporate SW Cyberspace paint into a home – like the two-toned kitchen cabinets below.
Cyberspace is also a great option for a bold bathroom paint color, like I did in my master bathroom, pictured below. One tip when you are selecting bathroom paint colors – make sure it a color you look good in so that it’s harmonious when you are putting on makeup.
Outdoors, Cyberspace looks warmer and lighter, with more green tones than you see indoors. This house is at high altitude in the Denver Foothills, so it looks a little lighter than it would at sea level.
Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart
Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart (Article) is often classified as a soft black, with an LRV of 6.9, but I’d argue its deep blue undertones put it solidly in the navy blue category.
Cheating Heart looks gorgeous with red brick or warm stone exterior finishes, such as on the home below, and looks much brighter outside than on the page.
Sample Our Favorite Navy Blue Paint Colors
- BM Hale Navy
- SW Needlepoint Navy
- SW Waterloo
- SW Sea Serpent
- BM Wescott Navy
- SW Cyberspace
- BM Cheating Heart
Key Learning Points
The best navy blue paint colors are mostly warm, deep blue paint colors that are perfect for exteriors and interior accents.
- While most navy blue paint colors have warm, green undertones, some are cooler and more muted.
- Navy blue hues are classic, timeless options for exterior paint color palettes, and pair well with red brick, warm stone, and many other colors.
- For interiors, navy blue works best as an accent color, such as for an accent wall, kitchen cabinets, or bathroom vanity. Make sure you test carefully to ensure the color isn’t too dark for the lighting. If it is too dark, it will look black during testing.
Remember: NEVER, EVER use paint matches from a different brand than the one specified. Results are poor and there are no standards for the sheens. Even though your painter may truly believe it can be done, don’t do it. See results from paint matching here.
No matter what, always test your paint colors. It’s a standard best practice. Whenever I test my paint colors, they are perfect, and when I don’t test they turn out wrong. Learn how to test your paint colors here.
Online Color Consulting
Still need help picking the best paint colors? Discover our Online Color Consulting Packages.
Related Posts:
- Benjamin Moore Hale Navy Review
- Benjamin Moore Westcott Navy Review
- Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent Review
- Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace Review
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 for their home – whether it’s a whole-house paint color scheme or ideas for a single room.
Since The Color Concierge was founded in 2017, we have completed over 3000 color consultations, both online and in-person. I am a Certified Color Expert with 7 years of experience creating interior and exterior color palettes throughout North America.
We love your comments! Please note that the blog is meant as general advice, and it is not possible to give out specific answers to your paint questions. If you want more specific advice, please consider purchasing a color consultation. Thank you for your understanding.
