The best blue paint colors, according to design pros

Benjamin Moore Blue Gaspe. Courtesy of Phil Mansfield

Whether it’s the ultramarine of an Yves Klein masterpiece or the faded chambray of a shirt worn soft over decades, blue sets a certain tone. A moody navy can provide a dose of quiet luxury, while a chalky powder blue emits a soft, sunlit charm. As a paint color, it’s endlessly versatile, in part because it works well with many other colors.

“I’ve never really heard anyone say, ‘I don’t like blue,’” says Mark D. Sikes, a designer in Los Angeles who has become something of a design diplomat for the hue. But beware — the wrong tone can skew “baby’s room” fast.

“People are afraid of saturated colors, which is really silly, so they tend to go too light — and that winds up being a little bit ‘nursery,’” says Jess Knauf, a designer in Denv