Blue Exterior House Paint: Colors, Trim and Front Doors
Blue works outside because it looks calm in sun and holds its own against green lawns and dark roofs. This page shows four blues for the walls, three trims and four door colors, all measured from paintings. Each one comes with its LRV and the closest commercial paints.
Quick answer
Use a mid-tone blue on the walls, a cream or soft white on trim and the garage door, and a moss green, olive, clay or dark brown on the front door and shutters. Pair all of it with a charcoal or black roof.
Every wall, trim and door color here was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
4 complete exterior color schemes
Walls, trim, front door and roof together. Each scheme takes its colors from public-domain paintings, so the pairings are ones a painter already put side by side.
Dusty Blue Colonial
Walls #84A1B0
Trim #E8DDC8
Front door & shutters #6A6E53
Roof: charcoal
Paint the siding dusty blue, the trim warm cream, and the front door and shutters moss green. A charcoal roof suits a two-story colonial.
Exterior paint is seen in much stronger light than a room. Full sun bleaches a color by a shade or two, while the shaded side of the house and overcast days pull it cooler and darker. Test a large sample on two sides of the house.
Color
Swatch
Full sun
Overcast
In shade
Golden hour
Dusty Sky Blue LRV 34
Pale Periwinkle Blue LRV 55
Deep Navy Blue LRV 6
Slate Blue LRV 19
Warm Cream LRV 73
Try these colors on a house
Pick a color for the walls, the trim, the front door and the roof, and switch between house styles. Shadows and siding lines follow your choice.
Roof colors are typical shingle, tile and metal colors, not paint. Every other color comes from a painting on this page.
Colors for the walls
#84A1B0LRV 34
Dusty Sky Blue
A mid-tone blue with an LRV of 34, good for siding or stucco on a house that gets plenty of sun. It comes from Cézanne's "Bathers" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Closest measured match: Sherwin-Williams SW 9070 Baby Blue Eyes.
Sherwin-Williams SW 9070 Baby Blue Eyes
Very close
Behr BXC-88 Cool December
Very close
Farrow & Ball No. 86 Stone Blue
Close
#B7C5DELRV 55
Pale Periwinkle Blue
A light blue with an LRV of 55 that bounces light and suits a low, wide house. It comes from Monet's "Cliff Walk at Pourville" at The Art Institute of Chicago. Closest measured match: Sherwin-Williams SW 9066 Agapanthus.
A very dark blue with an LRV of 6, strong on a farmhouse with light trim and some shade. It comes from Fra Bartolommeo's "The Nativity" at The Art Institute of Chicago. Closest measured match: Behr S550-7 Knighthood.
A cool, gray-leaning blue with an LRV of 19 that reads deep and quiet on siding. It comes from Monet's "Bordighera" at The Art Institute of Chicago. Closest measured match: Valspar 4005-4B Thundering Clouds.
A very light trim color with an LRV of 73 and a warm yellow undertone. It softens mid and dark blue walls and works on trim, fascia and the garage door. It comes from Pissarro's "The Garden of the Tuileries on a Winter Afternoon" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Sherwin-Williams SW 6119 Antique White
Near-identical
Valspar 7003-9 Malted Milk
Near-identical
Behr PPU8-14 Silky Bamboo
Very close
#E8E2DDLRV 77
Soft Neutral White
A very light trim color with an LRV of 77 and no clear undertone, so it stays calm next to pale blue. It comes from Monet's "Cliff Walk at Pourville" at The Art Institute of Chicago. Closest measured match: Sherwin-Williams SW 7077 Original White.
Farrow & Ball No. 2001 Strong White
Near-identical
Behr N190-1 Smokey Cream
Near-identical
Valspar 7001-9 Ballroom Belle
Very close
Sherwin-Williams SW 7077 Original White
Very close
#C1DCDFLRV 68
Pale Ice Blue
A very light trim with a cool blue undertone and an LRV of 68, useful for a tone-on-tone look against deeper blue siding. It comes from Monet's "Bordighera" at The Art Institute of Chicago. Closest measured match: Sherwin-Williams SW 6771 Bathe Blue.
A deep green door and shutter color with an LRV of 15 that adds a blue and green scheme to dusty blue walls. It comes from Cézanne's "Bathers" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Closest measured match: Sherwin-Williams SW 6180 Oakmoss.
A very dark door color with an LRV of 3 and a warm yellow undertone. It is the quietest choice against pale blue walls. It comes from Fearnley's "Study of Water and Plants" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Closest measured match: Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf.
A mid-tone red-orange door with an LRV of 27 that stands out clearly against navy walls. It comes from Fra Bartolommeo's "The Nativity" at The Art Institute of Chicago. Closest measured match: Sherwin-Williams SW 7702 Spiced Cider.
A mid-tone green door with an LRV of 29 that brightens cool slate blue siding. It comes from Monet's "Bordighera" at The Art Institute of Chicago. Closest measured match: Behr 390F-6 Tate Olive.
How do you choose a blue for the walls of your house?
Start with what will not change. The roof, brick, stone, chimney and driveway all have their own color, and the blue must sit well beside them. Look at each one in daylight. A charcoal or black roof works with all four blues here. Warm brick or tan stone usually pairs better with a gray-leaning blue like #69798D (LRV 19) or the mid-tone #84A1B0 than with a pale, icy blue.
Then pick the depth. A light blue like #B7C5DE (LRV 55) bounces light and suits a low, wide house such as a ranch. Mid-tones with an LRV of 19 to 34 give a house more presence. Navy #334664, at LRV 6, is bold and works best on a house with clean trim lines and some shade.
Think about scale too. A full wall shows far more color than a small chip, so the blue will look stronger once it is up.
Which trim and door colors suit blue color schemes for a house?
Trim frames the walls. Warm cream like #E8DDC8 (LRV 73) softens mid and dark blue. A neutral white like #E8E2DD (LRV 77) keeps pale blue clean. Against navy at LRV 6, either one makes a sharp, graphic edge. Use the same trim color on fascia and the garage door.
The front door is where a second color comes in. For a blue and green color scheme for a house, try moss green #6A6E53 (LRV 15) on dusty blue or olive #929845 (LRV 29) on slate. Both keep a cool wall from feeling flat. Clay #B78266 is the warm choice and stands out well on navy. Dark brown #342F1A is the quietest option.
Paint the shutters the same as the door, or one step darker, so the two read as a single decision.
Why does blue look different outside in sun and shade?
Outdoor light is stronger than indoor light, and it keeps changing. In full sun, a color looks lighter and a little brighter than the chip. In shade, under a porch roof or on a north wall, the same blue looks cooler and deeper, and it can lean gray.
For this reason, pick a shade darker than the one you like on the chip. A pale blue like #B7C5DE (LRV 55) can wash out in strong sun, so a mid-tone like #84A1B0 (LRV 34) may look closer to what you pictured.
LRV helps you predict this. Above about 60, a color reads light and bounces light. Below about 20, it reads very dark. At LRV 19 and 6, #69798D and #334664 will look deep even in bright sun. A warm cream trim also helps a blue that feels too cold in the shade.
How do you test blue paint on a house?
Do not judge a blue from a small chip. Paint a sample at least two feet square, with two coats. Use a board you can move, or paint directly on the wall.
Test on two sides of the house: one that gets direct sun and one that stays in shade, often the north side. Look at each sample in the morning, at midday, in late afternoon and on an overcast day. Check it at dusk too, since porch lights change how blue looks.
Hold the sample beside the real materials: roof shingle, brick, stone, and the trim and door colors you are considering. Paint small samples of those next to the wall sample. Leave everything up for a few days.
If the blue looks too light or too bright, go one shade darker and test again.
FAQ
What color trim goes with a blue house?
Warm cream (#E8DDC8, LRV 73) works with mid and dark blues. A neutral white (#E8E2DD, LRV 77) suits pale blue. Pale ice blue (#C1DCDF, LRV 68) gives a softer tone-on-tone look on slate blue.
What front door color goes with a blue house?
Moss green, olive green, terra cotta and dark olive brown all work. Clay stands out most on navy. Dark brown is the quietest choice on pale blue walls.
Do blue and green go together on a house exterior?
Yes. Keep the blue on the walls and use green on the front door and shutters, as in the dusty blue and slate blue schemes above. Green also sits well beside a lawn and plantings.
What roof color goes with a blue house?
Charcoal or black shingles suit all four schemes on this page. If the roof is already a different color, hold large samples of the blue beside a shingle before you decide.
Should I choose a light or a dark blue for the outside?
Light blue (LRV 55) bounces light and suits a low house in good sun. Mid-tone blues (LRV 19 to 34) give more presence. Navy (LRV 6) is bold and works best with light trim and some shade.
Save these colors
A card with these house color schemes: walls, trim, front door and roof. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 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.
