No color is off-limits for a kitchen, but a majority of American consumers prefer shades of blue. Blue is the color of the sky and the ocean. That’s probably the reason it is innately calming and reassuring, and why it is a great color for the center of the home, the kitchen.
Kitchens done in a base tone of blue give their marble counters a sophisticated look. The currently popular navy with periwinkle trim lends a playful feel to the family kitchen. You can tile your floors in ultramarine and upholster your banquette in azure.
But which shades of blue make food taste better? Blue is fine in blueberries, but we don’t want it for our potatoes, our leafy vegetables, and, although it’s a matter of personal taste, usually not with our steaks and seafood.
The shades of blue that enhance the taste of food eaten in the kitchen have subtle undertones of red, yellow, and orange, the colors that grab our attention. Blues that have just a hint of green give us a subtle hint of healthiness.
Blues mixed with browns and earth tones prime our brains to taste subtle, complex flavors like wine and chocolate. But blues mixed with black tell us to stay away from the table.
Each of the following 25 shades of blue can be used in stylish, smart, and deeply comforting ways. Each of these 25 shades of paint will give your kitchen a blue mood, but in a good way.
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1. Best Shade of Blue Paint to Help You Diet: Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue HC-156
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Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue HC-156 was rolled out in 1976 to celebrate the Bicentennial of the United States. It’s considered to be a “timeless” color that will still be in style when it’s time to repaint. It’s a grade shade to complement a black backsplash, but it will discourage grazing from the refrigerator and eating at the kitchen table.
2. Best Shade of Blue Paint to Stimulate Appetite: Behr Gem Turquoise 500B-4
Source: Behr
Some shades of blue turn off your appetite, but turquoise is an appetite stimulant. Behr Gem Turquoise 500B-4 helps diners feel relaxed about eating so they can listen to their internal cues. Of course, if those internal cues are “More! More! More!” this shade of blue is not the best for stopping uncontrolled excess, but it encourages busy families to eat and converse in the kitchen.
3. Best Shade of Blue Paint to Complement Wood Floors: Sherwin-Williams Let It Rain SW 9152
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Best Blue: Sherwin-Williams Let it Rain SW 9152 combines an invigorating blue with a calming gray to create a relaxing and restorative feel. It’s a great color for integrating wooden floors and cabinets and for reflecting blues and grays in stonework and marble. This blue works especially well with pine floors.
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Cabinet designers all over the country recommend Benjamin Moore Hale Navy HC-154 for kitchen cabinets. It’s an especially deep blue but it’s not so deep that you lose the beauty of the blue.
It works with white and brass accents and offsets creamy white upper cabinets. Pair it with a butcher block counter for a rustic homey feel.
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin- Williams Naval SW 6244 is a stunning contrast to bright, white walls, but it is such a deep blue that it should only be used in kitchens with lots of natural light. You don’t need a lot of cabinetry to make this combination work. Sherwin Williams Naval SW 6244 is great for trimming white walls but it’s not as good as the main color of the room. It won’t work in a dark space.
6. Best Shade of Blue Paint for Shaker Cabinets and Marble Countertops: Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue SW 2739
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Do you have a kitchen design with shaker cabinets and marble countertops? Or are you not quite sure whether you want a neutral gray or a soothing blue?
Sherwin-Williams Charcoal Blue SW 2739 is a dark navy that looks neutral gray in certain lights. It’s a great choice for classic kitchens.
7. Best Shade of Blue Paint to Pair with Floral Wallpaper: Sherwin-Williams Honorable Blue 6811
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Sherwin-Williams Honorable Blue 6811 is a bold blue that complements other bold color choices and floral prints. It’s also a great background for kitchens with collections of herbs or orchids. It’s energetic. It’s vibrant. It’s the choice for a bold decorator who wants to make the kitchen the focal point of the home.
Source: Behr
Behr Cayman Bay PPU14-03 isn’t so much a “navy blue” as it is a “nautical blue.” It gives depth to floor-to-ceiling cabinets, making a smaller kitchen seem larger. But is also slightly muted so it won’t seem overly pigmented and it will age gracefully.
9. Best Not-Quite-Neutral Shade of Blue Paint: Sherwin-Williams Sky High SW 6504
Source: Sherwin-Williams
If you are looking for a blue that clearly says “I’m blue” but doesn’t shout it across the room, a good choice for you is Sherwin- Williams Sky High SW 6504. It’s not a neutral color but it is calming, never overwhelming. This shade of blue blends well with reddish-browns and bolder, darker blues.
10. Best Cooling Shade of Blue Paint for Kitchens: Behr Falling Snow PPU18-07
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Behr Falling Snow PPU18-07 is the color you choose when you want your kitchen to be an oasis of calm. It is either a very white blue or a very blue-white with blue and purple undertones that encourages calm communication.
It’s a great color for your kitchen if it’s the place you gather with friends for calm conversations. It’s bright but not overpowering, and it makes any room feel fresh and clean.
11. Best Almost-White Shade of Blue Paint for Kitchens: Sherwin-Williams Alabaster SW 7008
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Here’s a blue that is almost white. Sherwin-Williams Alabaster SW 7008 has just a hint of purple, gray, and blue that tricks the eyes into seeing it as white when it is viewed by itself and tinted blue next to other objects in your kitchen. This is a shade of very light blue used in stately offices with tall windows and high ceilings.
12. Best Shade of Blue Paint for a Lacquer Finish: Benjamin Moore Water’s Edge 1635
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Lacquer finishes dry hard and tough and resist chips, scratches, and marks for years, but not every shade of blue looks good in a lacquered finish. Benjamin Moore Water’s Edge 1635 is a tough but pale blue with watery undertones. It works well in both modern kitchens and traditional kitchens and keeps the kitchen ambiance bright by bringing the outdoors inside.
13. Best Shade of Blue Paint for a Butler’s Pantry: Benjamin Moore Mysterious AF-565
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To be sure not all of us have homes with a pantry, or more specifically, with a butler’s pantry. But if you do, Benjamin Moore Mysterious AF-565 is an excellent choice for a blue that makes items on pantry shelves pop out for easy identification. This paint is almost a black-blue, great for powder rooms and pantries, not really the blue shade of choice for the whole kitchen.
14. Best Shade of Blue Paint for a Farmhouse Kitchen: Benjamin Moore Mediterranean Breeze 799
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Benjamin Moore Mediterranean Breeze 799 captures the shade of blue associated with the Mediterranean, or the blue sky in the summer in the south of France. It is the perfect color for a farmhouse kitchen or a kitchen in a home overlooking the sea.
With windows framing bright sunshine, this color makes it easy to imagine you are in another time and place. But there is just enough gray in this shade to ground you in the reality of your time and place.
15. The Baja-Boho Blue Paint: Sherwin-Williams Luxe Blue SW 6537
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Baja-Boho or Baja Bohemian is a coastal style combining elements of design from the Southwestern United States and Baja California. The blue for Baja-Boho design is Sherwin-Williams Lux Blue SW 6537. It’s a great backdrop for textured neutral fabrics and furniture.
It works with rattan and seagrasses. Some enthusiasts say it gives them the feel of the Hamptons with a touch of the Sea of Cortez, but this blue is sufficiently down to earth to work in any kitchen design incorporating rattan or rustic wood in a kitchen with lots of light.
16. A Shade of Blue Paint That Works with Orange and Green: Benjamin Moore New York State of Mind 805
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Benjamin Moore’s New York State of Mind 805 is a shade between cobalt and marine blue that works as a backdrop for bold design elements. It can even bring together orange and green. It also complements other blues.
17. Best Shade of Blue Paint for a Backdrop for Tropical Hardwood Furniture: Benjamin Moore Rhine River 689
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Benjamin Moore Rhine River 689 is a popular backdrop for tropical hardwoods such as mahogany and teak. It is a timeless color for timeless woods.
It also complements cream colors. Table runners in this shade of blue reinforce the beauty of the shade against fine woods.
18. Best Shade of Blue Paint to Complement Plaids: Benjamin Moore Poolside 775
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What color could you possibly use to complement plaids and tartans? Benjamin Moore Poolside 775 is a combination of blue-green and blue-gray that makes all the colors in plaids and paisleys and tartans pop. It also complements wood tones and Lucite.
19. Best Shade of Blue Paint for Calming Effect: Sherwin-Williams Riverway SW 6222
Source: Sherwin-Williams
Some shades of blue just make you say “Ah.” Sherwin-Williams Riverway SW 6222 is a shade of blue that has a uniquely calming effect. It’s a darker, neutral gray that not a good backdrop for bright, stimulating colors. Instead, it provides a relaxing backdrop for whites and grays.
20. Best Shade of Blue Paint for Informal Wine Tastings: Behr Antique Seafoam Pearl 470A-2
Source: Behr
Behr Antique Seafoam Pearl 470A-2 is a calm mixture of browns and blues that redirect the eyes to the nose. If one of the uses of your kitchen is sharing a few bottles of wine with friends, this is a great shade of blue to keep the focus on the wine while keeping conversation calm.
21-22. Best Shades of Blue Paint for Stimulating Happy Conversations: Behr Essex Blue S500-2 and Behr After Rain M520-2
Source: Behr
Source: Behr
Behr Essex Blue S500-2 is an eggshell blue that reflects natural light and lifts the mood. It’s a color that stimulates conversation while keeping the participants calm.
Behr After Rain M520-2 is just a tiny bit brighter and adds just a little tension, but in a healthy way.
23. Best Shade of Blue Paint for Kitchen Ceilings: Benjamin Moore Blue Veil 875
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It’s easy to choose the wrong shade of any color for the kitchen ceiling. Ceilings appear darker than walls and floors and kitchen cabinets. If you want a blue for your ceiling, you almost certainly need a light blue.
Benjamin Moore Blue Veil 875 is a classic color that can brighten up your kitchen ceiling, especially if your kitchen has southern exposure.
24. Best Shade of Blue Paint for Kitchens with Panoramic Views: Benjamin Moore Jet Stream 814
Source: Benjamin Moore
Sometimes you don’t want paint and accents to draw the eye to the interior of your kitchen. Sometimes you want your color scheme to encourage your family and your guests to take in the view just outside your kitchen. Steer attention to the beauties of nature with Benjamin Moore Jet Stream Blue 814.
25. Best Shade of Blue Paint for Kitchens with Oceanside Views: Benjamin Moore Early Frost Blue CSP-590
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Sometimes you want your kitchen and the sky and the ocean outside all to have the same shade of blue. Depending on the intensity of sunlight, this is an effect you may be able to achieve with Benjamin Moore Early Frost Blue CSP-590.
