My Favorite Navy Paint Colors
When we started talking about adding built ins into our office, I knew I wanted to paint them navy. It’s how I envisioned them from the start. Usually, I tend to lean towards white or neutral woods but I had a feeling this office would do well with a little punch. Who knew there would be so many navy paint options? It took some narrowing down but I came up with some favorites and my “perfect” shade which is what we ultimately decided to go with.
Railings No.31 by Farrow & Ball: The perfect navy. You can’t convince me otherwise. It’s the best deep, moody, almost black without being too blue and overpowering type of navy. The navy that ages well. The navy that transitions well between different design trends and different owners. The navy that everyone loves.
Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore: The nautical navy. This was high on my list as I would consider it a very classic color with slight gray undertones. Hale Navy is also a transitional color, meaning not too cool or too warm.
Midnight by Benjamin Moore: The deep, inky blue. A dark-as-midnight, almost black tone that still adds depth. This was a very close second, especially after I saw it in Shea McGee’s mud room. If it’s in her home, it’s a top contender. Midnight adds contrast to any space without being too bold of a choice.
Naval by Sherwin Williams: Similar to ‘Hale Navy’ without as much gray undertone. This is SW’s most popular navy and color of the year for 2020. For me personally, this color wasn’t in my favorites. It read too blue for my liking and for the space / project.
Hague Blue No.30 by Farrow & Ball: Lighter than ‘Railings’, this color has a blue / green undertone when next to its navy friends. It is still considered a deep, moody tone but to my eye, it flirted more with a darker, blueish teal than a true navy.
In the end, I kept going back to Railings. I had continued to describe the tone I was going for as ‘deep navy, without being too blue’. Athena Calderone’s kitchen is done with this color is a show stopper and I couldn’t get that inspiration out of my mind. We also knew we would be installing black doors; therefore going with a soft blackish blue tone would work best for the space.
Photo sources
Railings: Eye Swoon
Hale Navy: Benjamin Moore
Midnight: Studio McGee
Naval: The Grit and Polish
Hague Blue: The Creativity Exchange