Looking for the perfect navy blue exterior paint? Get real-world inspiration with this Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue exterior color palette.
We love any chance we get to add color to our client’s homes. A classic white or beige house can be beautiful, but we’re always excited to find a client who wants something a little different.
We’ve noticed a lot of homeowners interested in green exteriors and blue exteriors lately, and the home we’re featuring today is a perfect example.
This homeowner had just built their home, but they didn’t like the way the exterior looked. They hired us to update the look and give the home more unique elements to elevate it from builder-basic to gorgeous.
A Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue exterior color palette turned out to be the perfect look! Keep reading to learn more about Charcoal Blue paint and the full exterior color palette we designed for these clients.
*This post contains affiliate links for products I use and love. If you click on some links and make a purchase, I will get a small commission at no cost to you. This helps pay for the costs of the blog, so I can continue to offer great content to our readers.
What Color is SW Charcoal Blue?
Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue is a dark blue with cool undertones. The painter we worked with 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.
What is the LRV of SW Charcoal Blue?
Charcoal Blue has an LRV of 6, which makes it a very dark blue. It appears lighter when used as an exterior paint. Colors look 4-5 times lighter and more colorful outdoors than they do indoors, especially in bright sunlight.
While some navy blues can appear too bright and colorful when used outdoors, the muted tones of Charcoal Blue keep it looking dark and lovely even outdoors.
What are the SW Charcoal Blue undertones?
Charcoal Blue is a cool dark blue with violet undertones (hence why our painter called it a Blurple!). I wouldn’t call it a navy blue because I usually see navy blue as a warmer color: a very dark blue with green undertones.
It’s dark enough that I wouldn’t use it for an accent wall indoors unless your room has a ton of light. But on the exterior, it’s perfect.
SW Charcoal Blue vs Other Exterior Blue Paint Colors
Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue is one of my favorite dark blue exterior paint colors. If you’re looking for other options, here’s how it stacks up to similar hues.
SW Charcoal Blue vs SW Naval
Charcoal Blue and Naval are both beautiful dark blue paint colors from Sherwin-Williams. Naval is a bit darker, with an LRV of 4, and looks much fresher, less muted, and more colorful than Charcoal Blue. Naval also has subtle green undertones, so it’s a warmer blue.
SW Charcoal Blue vs SW Cyberspace
SW Cyberspace is another deep blue-gray paint from Sherwin-Williams. It’s even more muted than Charcoal Blue, so it appears more gray. Cyberspace is a pretty neutral blue, without significant violet or green undertones. Both colors have an LRV of 6, and both work really well for exterior color palettes.
SW Charcoal Blue vs BM Hale Navy
Benjamin Moore Hale Navy can work in similar applications as Charcoal Blue, but there are some pretty significant differences between the two colors. Both colors are fairly muted, but Hale Navy has warm, green undertones and is lighter than Charcoal Blue, with an LRV of 8.
Project Spotlight: SW Charcoal Blue Exterior Color Palette
A Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue exterior color scheme turned out to be the perfect palette for their new-build home.
The home was already beautiful, but its original beige body paint wasn’t doing anything to highlight its unique architectural details or the beautiful stone accents.
The Charcoal Blue color palette we designed has truly brought this home to life!
The clients wanted their home to be unique from their neighbors, but also not look out of place. So we considered the colors of the neighbors’ homes when designing this color palette.
Ultimately, we picked Charcoal Blue as the siding color and paired it with a soft white trim, colorful front door, and unique haint blue front porch ceiling.
Explore the complete SW Charcoal Blue exterior palette:
- Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue
- Sherwin-Williams City Loft
- Sherwin-Williams Quite Coral
- Sherwin-Williams Niebla Azul
Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue Siding
I love the way this home looks with SW Charcoal Blue siding! It pairs beautifully with the stone accents along the front of the house and the porch.
Sherwin-Williams City Loft Exterior Trim
Sherwin-Williams City Loft is the perfect white exterior trim color for this palette. City Loft is a light greige with violet undertones that looks much brighter outdoors. It’s amazing how crisp and light it looks, especially when you see the swatch below. This home is at a high altitude, in Denver, CO, so the sun makes it look brighter than you would expect.
It works really well as a white trim color outdoors, especially when paired with a dark body color like Charcoal Blue. It adds plenty of contrast without looking too stark in the sunshine.
Sherwin-Williams Quite Coral Front Door
Pairing navy blue siding with a colorful front door is a classic (and fun!) combination. In this palette, we chose Sherwin-Williams Quite Coral for a bold pop of color at the front of the house.
Sherwin-Williams Niebla Azul Porch Ceiling
To add another colorful element to this palette, we also painted a pale blue front porch ceiling.
Known as “haint blue” ceilings, this traditional porch color is most popular in the American Deep South, but can also be found in New England, especially in coastal communities. But we’re also starting to see haint blue paint colors on porch ceilings all over the country.
We used Sherwin-Williams Niebla Azul for this home’s front porch ceiling, a gorgeous haint blue paint color that we love to pair with dark blue exterior color schemes.
Is Dark Blue a Good Exterior House Color?
We love dark blue exterior paint colors – they are beautiful and flexible too! Blues look great in wooded lots and with warm stone or red brick. They’re also the perfect, classic foundation to pair with bright pops of color on a front door.
If you want an exterior color palette that stands out but also stands the test of time, then a dark blue paint like Charcoal Blue is a fantastic option.
But remember: it’s important to consider your home’s location, landscaping, neighbors and hard finishes like stone or brick before choosing an exterior paint color. Be sure to test your paint colors, too, before taking the plunge.
Need help designing your perfect exterior palette? Hire our color consultants to do the hard part for you!
Testing Exterior Paint Colors
One of the most important parts of finding the right exterior paint colors is by testing them – and testing them correctly.
Don’t just paint your swatches onto your exterior. It’s hard to see what the true color looks like when it’s painted in the middle of the existing color because the background color tricks your eye.
Instead, test large swatches painted over primer or tape white paper around them to isolate the color. Test your colors next to any brick, stone and trim that you need to consider, too.
Our favorite way to test paint colors is with SAMPLIZE 9X14” Pre-Painted peel-and-stick paint samples on white poster board. You can move the board around to see the color in different light and easily move it to different parts of your home to compare the color to your hard finishes.
Check out the SAMPLIZE website here.
Key Learning Points
- Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue is a dark yet muted navy blue paint color that works really well as exterior paint.
- Charcoal Blue pairs well with bright pops of color, such as a bold front door or a Haint blue front porch ceiling.
- When choosing exterior paint colors, remember that paint looks 4-5 times lighter and more colorful outdoors than it does inside.
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.
Online Color Consulting
Still, looking for the perfect paint color? Discover our Online Color Consulting Package.
If you liked this post, don’t forget to pin it!
Get an Expert-Made Exterior Paint Color Scheme
Don’t want to create a color palette by yourself? Contact The Color Concierge to learn more about our in-person and online paint color consultations.
Our All-In Exterior consults include three tailor-made color palettes, support during the testing process, one round of design edits, and detailed color placement instructions you can hand off to your painter.
Click here to explore our exterior paint color consultation package.
We love your comments! Please note that the blog is meant as general advice, and it is not possible to give specific answers to your paint questions. If you want more specific advice, please consider purchasing a color consultation. Thank you for your understanding.
2 Responses
I love this color combination. Do you think the charcoal blue color would look good with a brown roof or would it be too cool?
I think a brown roof would be very nice with this combination!
Michelle