The best navy and deep blue paint colours are Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue (30), Stiffkey Blue (281) and Railings (31), Little Greene's Hicks' Blue (208) and Royal Navy (257), and Paint & Paper Library's Squid Ink (698). Each has a different undertone, and that undertone is what decides how it will look in your room.
Navy has become a modern neutral. It is calmer than black, richer than grey, and it flatters almost everything you put against it: brass, oak, white marble, leather and pale pink. The challenge is choosing between blues that look nearly identical on a card but very different on a wall. Here is how they compare.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Hague Blue (30)
Hague Blue
Hague Blue (30) is a deep, dark blue with green undertones. Farrow & Ball say it takes its name from the strongly coloured woodwork much used by the Dutch, and its green edge is what gives it such depth. It works outdoors on doors and joinery, and indoors it is especially good in small, dark rooms, where it feels enveloping rather than gloomy.
Choose it if you want a navy with warmth and a hint of teal. For woodwork and ceilings alongside it, we like the cool, clean Wevet (273).
Stiffkey Blue
Stiffkey Blue (281) is a true inky navy, named after the beach at Stiffkey in Norfolk, where the mud and the cockles share a deep navy hue. It has less green than Hague Blue and reads more unmistakably blue, especially in brightly lit rooms. Farrow & Ball pair it with Ammonite (274).
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Stiffkey Blue (281)
Railings and the blue-blacks
Railings (31) is a soft black with blue undertones. Farrow & Ball describe it as more blue than black, and it takes its name from the ironwork it suits so well. It is the colour to choose if you want the gravity of black with a gentler, bluer edge, on front doors, railings, kitchen cabinets or panelling.
Little Greene's Basalt (221) is a similar idea: a blue-black that reads almost black in low light and shows its blue in daylight.
Photo Credit: Farrow & Ball; Colour Used: Railings (31)
More deep blues worth sampling
- Hicks' Blue (208). A deep, rich blue named in honour of the designer David Hicks, who was known for his confident use of colour. Little Greene suggest dark blues like this, and Marine Blue (95), in place of greys and blacks to give a south-facing scheme more depth.
- Royal Navy (257). A classic navy from Little Greene, and one of their suggestions for walls in south-facing rooms.
- Pitch Blue (220). A rich cobalt with a large dose of black pigment, giving it an indigo look that can seem almost purple in some lights. It comes alive in a sunny room alongside a bright white such as All White (2005).
- Inchyra Blue (289). A deep blue-grey, first created for Inchyra House in Perthshire. It shifts between blue, grey and green with the weather.
- Squid Ink (698). A charcoal blue inspired by fountain-pen ink, from Paint & Paper Library's Original Colours. Ideal for front doors, shutters, libraries and studies.
Photo Credit: Paint & Paper Library; Colours Used: Squid Ink (698), Lead I (681), Lead V (685)
How to choose between them
- Look at the undertone. Hague Blue leans green, Pitch Blue leans violet, Railings and Basalt lean black, and Stiffkey Blue sits closest to a true navy.
- Think about the light. Deep blues look bluer and brighter in strong light and darker, closer to black, in north-facing rooms and by lamplight. Our guide to why a colour looks different at home explains why.
- Sample them together. Paint two coats of each sample pot onto large boards and compare them side by side, by day and by night.
Deep blues also look superb on furniture and kitchen cabinets. Our guide to painting IKEA furniture covers the method.
Questions we are often asked
Which navy is best for a front door?
Hague Blue, Stiffkey Blue, Railings and Squid Ink are all excellent. Ask for an exterior finish such as Intelligent Exterior Eggshell, and look at your sample in morning and afternoon light.
Will navy make my room feel dark?
It will make it feel deeper, which is often the point. In a small room, painting walls, woodwork and ceiling in the same blue can make the space feel larger and more deliberate. Our guide to colour drenching explains how.
What white goes with navy?
A soft, considered white usually looks better than a stark brilliant white. Farrow & Ball pair Stiffkey Blue with Ammonite, and Wevet sits well with Hague Blue; both are good starting points.
