In 2012 it was purple. I saw it in show homes. I saw it in magazines. I saw it online. Everyone wanted to incorporate purple as an interior paint colour.
At the beginning of the year, I was pretty sure 2013 was going to be all about turquoise. We used it a fair bit last year and even more this year. All those shades of greeny blues are super popular right now and I don’t think the colour is going anywhere.
But you know what is even hotter right now? Navy.
Hale to Navy.
It might be my very favourite colour of all time. I love that is goes with almost anything. I love that it is strong and bold and yet can be a neutral. I love that it is dark and yet clean and crisp.
I nearly fell off my chair when I saw Mary McDonald’s latest fabric designs for Schumacher. Drop dead gorgeous navy.
Currently, I am working with the very talented Jil Sonia Designs to add this fabulous tape to my roman blinds and a bench cushion in my master bedroom. I am also having pillows made in the other fabric as well. Like I said I love navy.
And yes, I love navy on walls too. Navy has two undertone categories – green or red. The more red in it, the closer it gets to purple or indigo as you lighten it up. The more green in the undertone the closer it gets to teal.
Here are some of my favourite navy paint colours.
The Navy’s with Green Undertones
Top of my list is Farrow and Ball Hague Blue (No. 30). I surprised my sweet husband by having our kitchen walls painted (again) in Hague Blue while he was away on a trip. He’s getting a bit scared to go away in fear of what I will do next time.
Hague Blue works so well because it has enough of a green undertone to not look too nautical. Paired up against Benjamin Moore Simply White (OC-117) it is crisp and clean – and perfect. It also happens to complement the fabrics from the Mary McDonald collection.
Two other options in this green undertone of dark blues to look at are Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (HC-154) and Benjamin Moore Blue Note (2129-30). Both have good green undertones and make for great exterior house colours.
Benjamin Moore Gentlemen’s Gray (2062-20) can’t go unmentioned by me. This was the colour of my powder room for about three years and I always got a ton of compliments on it. It is a great colour and isn’t quite as dark as the other colours I have chosen. It is a great option for small spaces and feature walls where you want to be sure the colour doesn’t read black in low light.
Navys with Purple Undertones
Top of this list is Benjamin Moore Mysterious (AF-565). I love this colour for the exact opposite reason I love Hague Blue. It has enough red in it that it can almost make you double take for a purple. I had it listed in my favourite dark purples last year with a note that this was a colour even men like. That’s because as much as it has a purple hue to it, it is definitely a dark blue. A beautiful one at that.
It is deep and rich and is perfect in this master bedroom.
I recently used it on a front door to pull out the pink undertones in this trim done in Benjamin Moore Gardenia (AF-20). But you will have to wait for my top 2013 exteriors for those pictures.
Another option in this range of dark blues is Farrow and Ball Drawing Room Blue (No 253).
Navy has always held second place to black as a crisp contrast colour. I prefer navy to black in almost every situation. I’d buy navy shoes over black ones in a heartbeat. It’s one of those colours that can shine or shadow – a bit like me I guess.
So there are my six navy picks. All beautiful colours. Which one do you like?
