Do The Best Dark Blue Paint Colors Make You Blue?

 

Hey Everyone,

Guess where I am on this early spring day in Boston?

I won’t leave you in suspense; I’m at the Boston Athenaeum!

 

 

And, I got to use my virgin membership card. I verified with the guy at the desk that they close at 5:00 PM. “Yes,” he said and then continued with a twinkle in his eye;

 

“oh, you can spend the night if you like. Just bring a sleeping bag, but don’t let [I forgot the name] catch you.”

 

haha! Who remembers the Sesame Street (My son Cale called it “Messy Street”) special, “Don’t Eat The Pictures?” Big Bird, along with a bunch of kids and their clueless ;] caregivers were ummmm… locked inside New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

Yes, that’s Sahu who’s undoubtedly a grandfather by now. ;]

Do You have any idea how many times I heard, “Where does today meet yesterday?”

 

If you guessed thousands, you are correct. Fond memories from the early to mid-90s.

*********

The Boston Athenaeum is exactly 9/10ths of a mile from me, but the last third is up to the top of Beacon Hill, just passed the Massachusetts State House. Along Beacon Street, the ascent is not terribly steep. However, it’s at least a quarter of a mile and quite a workout. After I arrived, I thought I would walk up to the 5th floor. Well, I made it to the third, thought the better of it, and elevatored the rest of the way. Since the ceilings are so high, it’s more like four floors. Maybe next time.

 

The view from my “office.”

FYI, when I walked back down I counted 150 steps up back down the first floor. And it is 80 steps to the third floor!

 

Anyway, it’s good to do work somewhere else. It clears the head and paves the way for new ideas.

 

The front facade of the Boston Athenaeum was taken by me from across the street as far back as I could go.

If you missed my post about the Boston Anthaneum, an exquisite library/art gallery/museum/cultural center, please go here.

Before we go on with the best dark blue paint colors, I have an update for you from the mid-week post where we looked at kitchen lighting. Thank you, too, for the many lovely comments I received; I found most of them quite helpful, but all are greatly appreciated.

 

Now we will get into the best dark blue paint colors, which begin with a real “Dear Laurel” letter:

 

Dear Laurel –

About a year ago, a close friend sent me the link to your website. And, you’ll never know how much enjoyment I’ve derived from your candid and fun blog posts. I also refer back to, save, share, and am continually inspired. I so enjoy your candid and fun way with words, too.

Not only have you expanded my horizons, but you’ve also saved me money!

[Laurel needs to interrupt to say that this lovely woman is not on my payroll. haha!]

 

Thanks to your timely hot sales alerts, we ordered two chairs, bedding, shams/comforter, and a Robin Bruce Sleep sofa (your feature on sleeper sofas got us over the hurdle). All have been received except the sofa, and we are thrilled with everything!

You’ve energized me to revisit my long-time favorite Blue & White Chinoiserie, so I’m underway on that too!

I need your suggestions for the best dark blue paint colors to go in the adjoining small-ish guest bath. The tile, tub, sink & WC are Kohler crisp white; the floor is stained wood.

All Best Wishes,

Judy

 

Gosh, that was a darling note. Thank you, Judy!

 

In addition, a few others have been asking for a post about the best dark blue paint colors.

 

Okay, then! Here it is…

 

But, one thing that often comes up is that most of us have connotations with specific colors. And, blue is one of those that comes up quite frequently.

 

I’ll never forget my COLOR professor at the New York School of Interior Design saying to a student in 1988, “No, you don’t like blue; you like indigo. Blue is a horrible color.”

It is?

I recall thinking that was a strange thing to say to a student or anyone for that matter. Mostly, I like ALL colors, but some need to be in tiny doses. haha. Here’s a good example, a child who picked a shocking color for his bedroom.

 

Below is a classic example from Breakfast at Tiffany’s where a ravishing Audrey Hepburn explains to her newly met love-interest, in the film, George Peppard, the difference between “the mean reds” and “the blues.”

 

 

Love the Tiffany blue sleep mask.

And, Audrey darling, you have a long way to go before worrying about getting fat.

 

This, I believe, is the color of getting fat.

 

Of course, it’s not a place that she needs…

Oh, I hope that when she gets her life together, she goes and shops my hot sales for some beautiful new furniture!

 

Feeling sad has never felt like the color blue to me; quite the opposite, I think.

 

Mark Rothko

 

However, feeling blue, or the blues, is prevalent in art and especially in music.

 

uhhh… The Blues. Everyone knows that.

The blues are associated with a genre of music evolving in the deep south after the civil war.

But, did you know that virtually all music today is a direct evolution of the original blues? Gospel, Spiritual, Soul, Rhythm’ n Blues, Jazz, Big Band, Rock (in all of its forms), Hip Hop, Funk, etc.

 

It seems that the blues are more about a catharsis of sorts, like a good cry.

 

It is the color of healing.

In fact, many years ago, when I studied acting in New York City, we had an exercise, amongst many, where we imagined a healing blue light flowing through our bodies. Our teacher told us we could summon the blue light any time we needed to calm our nerves.

I’m going on about this because a lot of us have preconceived notions about color (like Ms. F. at the NYSID) based on either what we hear or what we think we believe.

And, while some of you already love rich, dark blue paint colors, some of you might not be there yet. And, it’s fine if you never get there. But sometimes, I find that it helps to think of old things in new ways.

 

Here’s what the color blue is to me.

 

Blue is infinity.

 

photo-Kyle Gregory Devaras – Unsplash

 

Photo – Steve Halama – Unsplash

It is spiritual.

 

Markus Spiske via Unsplash

Dark blues are mysterious and heavenly.

I love black and blue together.

 

@foemedia – Fabian Oelkers via unsplash

blue is calming

 

Blue is magical. Photo: via NASA. Pretty cool!

 

And Dramatic

 

Photo by me taken the night of the big snowstorm in January with an enigmatic evening sky.

 

Below are some inspiration interiors and exteriors featuring the best dark blue paint colors.

 

I love this dark blue and white home in Newport, RI. However, I don’t know who took this image.

 

I don’t have the source for this image, either. However, I love black and dark blue paint colors together. In fact, I wrote a post several years ago about it.

 

One of my favorite boards from the Laurel Home Paint Palette Collection, featuring the color Twilight by Benjamin Moore.

From the exquisite hotel in the UK– Heckfield Place.

 

An iconic Beacon Hill door I took last December.

 

Gorgeous, gorgeous by one of my favorite architects, James Carter, featured here.

 

Below are some older posts featuring mostly dark blue colors.

 

Blue and white rooms

A wonderful color palette featuring blue

Beautiful blue and white rooms with inspiring architectural features

Blue and White Chinoiserie

 

Laurel? Paint colors???

 

Yes, yes. :] Thank you for your patience. They are coming right up. These are by Benjamin Moore and are in the Laurel Home Paint and Palette Collection except for Hague Blue, which is by Farrow and Ball. To see the Benjamin Moore equivalents to Farrow and Ball, click here.

 

The blue section in the LH Collection is the largest, with 18 shades from super pale to navy. Some may wonder why I did not include the popular Benjamin Moore color, Hale Navy.

Well, I was going to, and it’s a fine navy blue.

 

However…

 

In 2016, just before the paint collection came out, I was at the High Point furniture market, and that is when I saw Deep Royal at the Dunes and Duchess booth. Well, that was it for me. It is the perfect Navy Blue.

You might notice that most of the blues have an element of warmth to them. These are not quite teal but heading in that direction. It’s a personal preference. I suppose I could’ve put in a lovely indigo. (blue veering towards purple), but I didn’t.

What are your best dark blue paint colors? Do you have any favorites? If so, have you used them, and in what room(s)? Please share in the comments.

 

Below are some other posts about specific color groupings.

 

warm grays (which sometimes veer into violet, beige/greige, and khaki)

cool grays (which sometimes veer into blue, green, indigo)

pale blues that don’t scream out BABY BLUE.

some of my favorite green paint colors

green paint colors that aren’t called green

yellow paint colors and a popular shade from the early 18th century

orange paint colors, from pale to deep

red paint colors

How to Work with the Color Pink

And brown, masculine shades preferred by the wife, not her husband

 

There are even more posts about paint.

 

If you are looking for more. You can either try the search box near the top of the sidebar. Or, you can go to the categories (lower down on the sidebar) and look for “interior paint colors.”

xo,

 

PS: Please check out the newly updated HOT SALES!

 

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