Blue Bathroom Paint Colors Measured from Paintings

How do I choose between these three blues?

Start with the size of the room and how much daylight it gets. The pale blue, #B7C5DE, has an LRV of 55. It reads light and keeps a small bathroom open. It is the easiest choice for all four walls.

The mid blue, #8BADCC, sits at LRV 40. It has more color and less glow. Use it on one wall, a vanity or a door, or on all the walls if the bathroom has a large window.

The deep blue, #2B5863, has an LRV of 8. That is very dark. It suits a vanity, a tub surround or a powder room where you want a snug, saturated feel. All three blues have a cool undertone, so they sit well together.

A simple plan: pale blue on the walls, deep blue on the main furniture, mid blue as the one bold piece. If you want only one blue, choose by LRV. Go lighter for small or dim rooms and darker for rooms with good light.

What goes with blue in a bathroom: trim, ceiling and floor?

The warm colors from "Portrait of a Monk in Prayer" sit opposite the blues and soften them. Use them in small amounts.

For the ceiling and trim, try #FFE4D3. At LRV 82 it is very light, with a warm red-orange undertone, so it reads as a soft peach-cream rather than stark white. Next to the pale blue walls it adds warmth and still bounces light. The closest match measured is Sherwin-Williams SW 6336 Nearly Peach. If you prefer white trim, test it beside the blue first.

For wood, #674D45 (LRV 9) is a deep brown that suits a vanity top, shelf, mirror frame or stool. For the floor, choose a warm wood tone or a warm tile close to #C4A898 (LRV 42) so the room does not feel cold. The same color works in towels, a rug or a shade.

Keep the deep blue and the deep brown from competing. Pick one to be the largest dark piece.

How will these blues look in my bathroom light?

All three blues have a cool undertone, so the light in the room matters. With cool, bluish daylight, the pale blue #B7C5DE can feel crisp and a little chilly. Warm bulbs soften it. Cooler bulbs sharpen it.

In a dim or windowless bathroom, LRV counts. The pale blue at 55 gives back the most light. The mid blue at 40 holds its color but looks deeper at night. The deep blue at 8 will look very dark in low light, so keep it to a vanity or a small room unless you want a moody space.

Warm companions help. A ceiling in #FFE4D3 adds a gentle glow overhead, and wood in #674D45 adds warmth at eye level. Lights on both sides of the mirror reduce shadows on the walls.

A satin or semi-gloss finish reflects more light than a flat one, which can help in a small bathroom.

How do I test these colors before painting?

Paint a large sample, about two feet square, on the wall you plan to paint. Do the same on a second wall, because light changes from one wall to the next. Sample boards let you move the color around the room.

Look at the samples in the morning, at midday and in the evening with the lights on. Hold them next to your tile, towels and wood. Cool blues can shift beside a warm floor.

The paint matches here are the closest found to each measured color. For #B7C5DE, that is Sherwin-Williams SW 9066 Agapanthus, a near-identical match, and Behr S550-3 Chivalrous, a very close one. For #8BADCC, it is Sherwin-Williams SW 6528 Cosmos. For #2B5863, it is Behr QE-47 Petro Blue, a near-identical match. Always check a real sample, because screens and printed chips vary.