Paint colors for your home, inside and out
Blue · Bedroom · colors from 3 paintings
The best blue for a bedroom depends on how much light you have and how dark you want the room to feel. This page shows three deep blues measured from paintings by Renoir and Monet, plus three lighter and warmer colors to pair with them. Each one lists its light reflectance value (LRV) and the closest commercial paints.
Quick answer
Use the pale blue #CFE0E9 on the walls, or paint the wall behind the bed in #4777A1. Keep the darkest blue, #365563, for textiles and furniture.
The brightest of the deep blues, with a cool undertone and an LRV of 17. Use it on the wall behind the bed or on a dresser; it was measured from Renoir's Young Woman Sewing (1879).
From Young Woman Sewing, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
A grayer, quieter blue with an LRV of 17 and a cool undertone. It suits a bedroom with steady daylight where you want a restful accent wall; it comes from Monet's The Petite Creuse River (1889).
From The Petite Creuse River, Claude Monet
At LRV 8 this is very dark, so use it in small doses: curtains, a headboard or a bedspread. It was measured from Renoir's The Laundress (1877-79).
From The Laundress, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
With an LRV of 73 it reads light and bounces daylight around the room, which makes it a good all-wall color. It comes from Monet's The Petite Creuse River (1889).
From The Petite Creuse River, Claude Monet
A mid-tone with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 23, good for a wood floor, bed frame or dresser. Its warmth balances cool blue walls; it comes from Renoir's The Laundress (1877-79).
From The Laundress, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
A mid-tone with a warm yellow undertone and an LRV of 40. Use it for one bold piece, such as an armchair or a bench; it was measured from Monet's The Petite Creuse River (1889).
From The Petite Creuse River, Claude Monet
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
| Color | Neutral daylight | North light | South light | Evening lamps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pale Water Blue | ||||
| Soft Olive Green |
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is Young Woman Sewing.
Start with how much light the room gets. All three blues here have an LRV of 17 or lower, so all of them read as deep colors. The blue from Renoir's Young Woman Sewing (#4777A1, LRV 17) is the clearest. The one from Monet's The Petite Creuse River (#607387, LRV 17) is grayer and calmer. The one from Renoir's The Laundress (#365563, LRV 8) is the darkest and suits a snug, cocoon-like room.
For a bedroom with a blue accent wall, choose the wall behind the bed. You face it least while lying down, so the depth feels restful instead of heavy. In a small room, a deep blue on all four walls can feel cozy, but plan on good lamps.
If you want blue everywhere with a lighter feel, paint the walls the pale blue #CFE0E9 (LRV 73). Save the deep blues for a bed frame, dresser or curtains.
The easiest blue bedroom color scheme is blue plus warm neutrals. The wood tone #93806D (LRV 23) has a warm yellow undertone, so it balances the cool blues. Use it for a floor, a bed frame or a dresser. Use the soft olive #AFAC7D (LRV 40) for one bold piece, such as an armchair, a bench or a lampshade.
For trim, a clean white keeps the edges crisp against deep blue walls. Against the pale blue #CFE0E9, white trim looks soft. Keep the ceiling white or the pale blue. Both are light enough to bounce light back down into the room. Bring in the darkest blue, #365563, through curtains, a throw or a headboard.
On the floor, mid-tone warm wood or a jute-colored rug keeps a dark blue room from feeling cold. Avoid a very dark floor under very dark walls, or the room loses its edges.
Blue shifts more than most colors. All three deep blues have a cool undertone. In a north-facing room, daylight is cooler, and they lean gray and steel. In a south- or west-facing room, warmer light softens them and shows the clearer blue of #4777A1.
At LRV 17 or 8, these colors take in most of the light that hits them. In a bedroom with one small window, the walls can read close to navy by late afternoon. Larger windows keep them looking blue. #365563, at LRV 8, will look nearly black in shade.
Evening matters, since most bedrooms are used then. Warm bulbs make deep blues look a little darker and softer. Cool white bulbs keep them crisp. Pick one bulb color for the room and judge the paint under it.
Paint a sample board about two feet square, not a small swatch. Brush on two coats and let them dry, since wet paint looks darker. Dark colors like these can change noticeably once dry.
Move the board around. Check it on the wall behind the bed and on a wall beside the window. Look at it in the morning, at midday and in the evening with the lamps on. Set it next to your bedding, your floor and the wood tone you plan to use.
The paint matches on this page are the closest measured to each painted color, not exact copies. Ask for a sample pot of the match, such as Sherwin-Williams SW 6243 Distance for #607387, and compare it with the other blues on the same board.
For a restful bedroom, try the grayer #607387, which is close to Sherwin-Williams SW 6243 Distance. For a clearer blue, choose #4777A1, close to Sherwin-Williams SW 6810 Lupine. Both have an LRV of 17, so they work best on one wall or in a bright room.
Yes. Paint the wall behind the bed, since you see it least while lying down. A deep blue there gives the room depth while the other walls stay light, for example in the pale blue #CFE0E9.
Warm woods and soft olive green work well with cool blue. Here, #93806D suits floors and furniture, and #AFAC7D suits one bold piece. White or pale blue works for trim and ceiling.
It can. Colors with an LRV below about 20 read very dark, and #365563 is at LRV 8. In a small room, use the dark blue on one wall or in textiles, and keep the other walls light.
The closest measured matches include Behr S520-6 Layers Of Ocean for #4777A1, Behr PPU14-01 Arrowhead Lake for #607387, and Sherwin-Williams SW 9185 Marea Baja for #365563. Test a sample pot before you buy a full can.
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Art Institute of Chicago, public domain (CC0). Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
