REVIEW: The 13 Best Blue-Gray Paint Colors (Light to Medium) (2024)

THE MOST POPULAR (& BEAUTIFUL) GRAY-BLUE PAINT COLORS

Blue-gray is having a moment – a long moment, and I’m here for it. While more colorful blue-green blends have had a good run, especially related to modern farmhouse style, I’ve been getting many more requests for blue-GRAYS in my Online Color Consulting.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BLUE-GRAY & GRAY-BLUE?

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The first word is the DOMINANT color, so a blue-gray shows up as blue on the walls, with a degree of gray to calm it down. Gray-blue is a GRAY paint color with a blue undertone to add interest!

Sherwin Williams Mineral Deposit is gray with a blue-green undertone.

But whether a color is blue-gray or gray-blue, why is it suddenly one of the popular kids? I think that psychologically, a lot of us are looking for calm. We’re pining for colors that bring our heart rates down and help us relax in our homes. Gray-blue seems to be a magical blend that hits a certain happy place (not THAT one, you dirty bird). Personally, my happy blend is a mixture of white wine, red wine, and Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn, but each to their own.

The thing to remember with blue-gray is that it’s rarely just blue-gray. Just as gray will have undertones, blue also loves to flex its colorful muscle (which I wrote MORE about HERE if you’re curious). So, even when the blue in your gray is an UNDERTONE, it can also have an undertone of its own tucked inside its deep lil’ blue jean pockets.

Here’s Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray, a gray with a SUPER PASSIVE blue (blue-green) undertone.

And remember, when it comes to choosing a gray-blue, don’t just choose the one YOU like; you also need to consider the ones that best suit the products, exposure, and finishings in your room, even if they fall a bit outside of your comfort zone.

BLUE-GRAY WITH A GREEN UNDERTONE

Blue-gray with green is cold, as blue and green are traditional cool colors; however, green can soften the look of blue. This influx of green won’t make your blue-gray any WARMER, but it can look a bit more inviting compared to a colder blue blend (however, that IS open to perception).

add a reasonable amount of green to your blue, and you’ll get colors like aqua, robin’s egg, and teal

add even MORE green, and you’ll get sage green, which is a COOL green (literally and figuratively)

these types of gray-blues are often referred to as beachy, coastal or spa-inspired

blue-greens are commonly used on porch ceilings, as they’re also referred to as ‘haint blues’

many of the blue-grays we’ll look at are heavy on the green, as they tend to be the most popular

BLUE-GRAY WITH A PURPLE/VIOLET UNDERTONE

A blue-gray with a violet hue can look a bit cold, which makes sense, as purple is most often viewed as a cool color. When you add purple to blue (technically, you’re adding red, but I’m pretty meat n’ potatoes around here), you’ll shift your blue, making it look a bit cooler.

Shown here, Sherwin Williams Jubilee

add ENOUGH purple, and you’ll get periwinkle

add even MORE purple, and you’ll get a purple with a blue undertone (or a cool-toned purple)

a gray-blue with purple is often seen as more romantic and slightly more traditional than the coastal vibe found in gray-blue-greens

And while these are ALL COLD COLORS, you can adjust the type of blue you see by choosing which way it leans!

Now, in my experience doing Online Paint Color Consulting, the requests for a blue-gray with a GREEN undertone greatly outweigh the blue-purple end of things.

Why?

Well, blue with a green undertone is a bit easier to coordinate products and furnishings with, with a bit more flexibility than blue-purple undertones. I’ve also found that purple seems to take over quickly with blue-purple, whereas green can seem much more passive when tucked inside blue.

Now that we have that out of the way let’s check out some of these bad boys!

THE BEST BLUE-GRAY PAINT COLORS

In the selection below, you’ll find a range of colors that are blue with a good dose of gray and gray with a beautiful blue undercurrent. Compare a range to see which one settles the best in your home!

1. SHERWIN WILLIAMS NETWORK GRAY 7073

Network Gray is a popular gray with a blue undertone. And while Network Gray’s blue undertone can lean slightly into green, it can also wink the other way, especially if you have north-facing light.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO NETWORK GRAY

Sherwin Williams Uncertain Gray is a touch lighter, grayer, and bluer.
Benjamin Moore Marina Gray, just a bit softer.
Jubilee, which we’ll look at next!

2. SHERWIN WILLIAMS LULLABY 9136

While I don’t have photos of this one yet, Lullaby is a GORGEOUS color that leans MORE on blue and a bit less on gray than the others.

Get your Peel & Stick sample of Lullaby HERE!

Lullaby has an LRV of 65, parking it nicely in the light range and offering a calm that almost puts you to sleep! This is a great shade of blue if you want something soft and subtle but not traditional ‘baby-boy blue.’

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO LULLABY

Sherwin Williams Serenely
Sherwin Williams Tradewind

To learn more about Lullaby, read its FULL COLOR REVIEW!

3. BENJAMIN MOORE GIBRALTAR CLIFFS 1587

Hands down, Gibraltar Cliffs is one of my FAVE blue-gray-green blends. This color is very open to interpretation as I’ve had people say it’s GRAY, and others see the blue or green. It will be up to you how it sits in your eyes!

For example, look at how heavy green-gray Gibraltar Cliffs looks in this sample photo…

But as a feature wall in this staircase, Gibraltar Cliffs looks much more blue-gray…

See more of this HERE

Gibraltar Cliffs has an LRV of 30.63, so while it’s got some depth to it, it’s not a super heavy color. Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – Read HERE. If you love the idea of blue but aren’t quite ready to commit to it full-time on your walls, Gibraltar could be the answer—it makes for a gorgeousfeature wall!

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO GIBRALTAR CLIFFS

Sherwin Williams African Gray, which calms things down CONSIDERABLY and removes almost all of the green
Benjamin Moore Stonybrook, which we’re going to hit next…

The Best DARK Blue-Gray Paint Colors

4. BENJAMIN MOORE WICKHAM GRAY HC-171

Wickham Gray is one of the lightest, most subtle paint colors on this page. With muted undertones and a stormy gray base, Wickham Gray is a popular choice, particularly for interior walls, but it also pops up on doors, as shown in this foyer…

I lightened this photo so you could see the door a bit more

Wickham Gray is a melange of blue, green, and gray that changes its tune depending on the space it’s in. With an LRV of 67.87, this subtle neutral is on the lighter end of things without winking at the wild world of off-white.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO WICKHAM GRAY

If you want a slightly darker look with a bit less undertone, check out Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray.
For a wee touch more green/color, Benjamin Moore Iced Cap is pretty.

Never trust a blue-gray; always compare it to similar shades and sample it on your space to see how it REALLY looks!

5. SHERWIN WILLIAMS JUBILEE 6248

Jubilee is one of the best blue-gray-violets as the blue still shows up enough to the party without the violet going too dominant.

Jubilee has an LRV of 45, so just a nice moderate medium-toned paint. If you still haven’t read up on LRV – TWO SLAPS WITH A WET NOODLE (here’s the link). And don’t be fooled into thinking this is a shade of gray. While it has a good gray foundation, it has a gorgeous color running through it.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO JUBILEE

Sherwin Williams Uncertain Gray. Uncertain Gray is a bit grayer and slides back to being blue with a very minor green in it, although in the right light, it’s a bit of a swinger and could switch partners, leaning a touch purple.
Sherwin Williams Let it Rain.
Benjamin Moore Gray Timber Wolf is lighter and softer, but again, watch as it can swing more into purple.
You’ll also want to compare Jubilee to this NEXT gray-blue blend – STARDEW!

6. SHERWIN WILLIAMS STARDEW 9138

Stardew is flat-out gorgeous. It’s more blue than gray, and while it’s pretty flexible, it could nod just a wee wink into green (a serious stretch of the imagination).

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO STARDEW

If you want a similar look, check out Sherwin Williams Tradewind.
Sherwin Williams Uncertain Gray (which you’ll see more of shortly) is goooorgeous and great if you want a bit less blue and more gray.
for a bit more depth and blue, check out Sherwin Williams Debonair (which looks quite similar to how Stardew does in the above photo).

7. SHERWIN WILLIAMS TINSMITH 7657

Tinsmith is one of the more muted and lighter shades on this page. Tinsmith is a light-medium super STORMY gray with a soft blue undertone. And just like Network Gray, you’ll find it to be a BIT of a ninja re: the purple/green factor, meaning that it naturally has a tiny touch of green, but in some lights, it can flex.

Look how much it changes with the lights on!

Sherwin Williams Tinsmith has an LRV of 57, so it’s a light-depth paint color, but it’s a HEAVY light, not a fresh, bright one.

Review of Sherwin Williams Tinsmith

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO TINSMITH – GRAYS WITH A BLUE UNDERTONE

Sherwin Williams Silverplate
Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray

Gray Paint Colors – The 3 Undertones You NEED to Know!

Click HERE or on the above image to see available packages.

8. BENJAMIN MOORE MOUNT SAINT ANNE 1565

Mount Saint Anne is one of the good ole ~~boys~~ girls. Anne is a soft, medium-toned blue with a good shot of gray in her and a passive green.

This popular shade has an LRV of 42.28, making it a medium-depth color with a smokey, moody vibe. This being said, Mount Saint Anne is also great for a beachy or coastal look, as long as you like more muted, calming colors.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO MOUNT SAINT ANNE

Benjamin Moore Beach Glass is the lighter, softer, and slightly greener version.
Benjamin Moore Adagio has a softer look with a bit more gray and little green.
Brewster Gray, by Benjamin Moore, is another beautiful gray-blue-green hue.
Benjamin Moore Beach Glass is a slightly lighter take on Mount Saint Anne.

In this next photo, look at how much green Mount Saint Anne picks up compared to how it looks in the previous photo…

Get your Peel & Stick Paint Sample of Mount Saint Anne HERE!

9. BENJAMIN MOORE COLORADO GRAY 2136-50

Colorado Gray is the more COLORFUL blend on this page, making it more of a dominant BLUE-gray. It does lean toward green, not drastically, but enough to be slightly noticeable.

Colorado Gray has an LRV of 44.4, making it a nice moderate, medium-toned color. And while it has some gray, there’s no foolin’ around with this one thinking it will look gray – she’s a blue beauty!

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO COLORADO GRAY

Benjamin Moore Soft Chinchilla is a bit lighter and softer, with a bit less green.
Sherwin Williams Rain or Interesting Aqua are good comparables.

10. SHERWIN WILLIAMS NIEBLA AZUL 9137

Niebla Azul is a light-medium depth blue paint color with an LRV of 53. Personally, it’s one of my favorite blue-grays on this page!

With an LRV of 53 and a slightly higher chroma, this is a great color for a secondary room, but it would be too blue for a ‘whole home‘ application. As for undertones, Niebla Azul commits to its blue and doesn’t HEAVILY favor blue-purple or blue-green (only MINORLY blue-green).

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO NIEBLA AZUL

Sherwin Williams Jubilee – leans slightly more blue-violet.
Sherwin Williams Lullaby – similar idea, but lighter.

11. SHERWIN WILLIAMS NORTH STAR SW 6246

North Star is one of the calmer shades on this page, offering a more subtle approach to blue-gray…

North Star is a blue-gray blend – some call it blue, others call it gray. I call it friggin’ gorgeous. With an LRV of 62, North Star sits right in my happy place, being a moderately light-depth paint color. As for intentions, while its main ‘color’ is blue, there’s a whisper of violet, stopping this color from looking blue-green. I suppose if you use bulbs with warm Kelvins, itcould swing this way, but it’s not normal.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO NORTH STAR FOR COMPARISON

Sherwin Williams Krypton offers a slightly darker take on the look of North Star.
I would also compare it to the very similar look of Benjamin Moore’s Blue Lace.

12. SHERWIN WILLIAMS UPWARD SW 6239

I added this one near the end because it’s a very…very sneaky one. It’s also the Color of the Year for 2024, so I figured I should hit it.

Upward is a blue-gray, but it’s more like a PURPLE-blue-gray, as the purple is often stronger than the blue. This doesn’t mean it’s not the perfect shade for you, but sample it carefully!

13. SHERWIN WILLIAMS UNCERTAIN GRAY SW 6234

Did I save the best until last? Maybe. Uncertain Gray is a gorgeous, gentle, medium-depth gray-blue. Whether it’s gray or blue is open to your perception and one of the many reasons I love this versatile shade!

Uncertain Gray has an LRV of 43, making it a very light, medium-depth color. Some medium-depths have LRVs closer to 10, and this color is far from that. With its overall vibe, Uncertain Gray is great for walls, cabinets, and exteriors.

COLORS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO UNCERTAIN GRAY

For a lighter look, check out Sherwin Williams Samovar Silver (another beauty).
If you want a bit less gray and more blue, check out the previously mentioned Stardew.
For a similar color that drops the touch of green you see in Uncertain Gray, check out Benjamin Moore Marina Gray. I had this color in my office for a while and LOVED IT!

WHAT ABOUT DARK GRAY-BLUE PAINT COLORS?

For those who want to nerd out a bit with me, a dark gray-blue color is ‘technically’ called Perse or Gunmetal. For the rest of you who want to SEE some dark gray-blues, click on the first link below!

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