Looking for the best blue gray paint color for your home? Find out what my favorite blue gray paint colors are and where we have used them.
One of the most frequently asked questions I receive from blog readers and Home with Heather clients and friends who come to visit is this:
“What paint color is your ____ ?“
Fill in the blank.
Can I just say – I love that you love the blue gray paint colors in our home as much as we do!
After a recent walk down to the basement, to dust off a paint can, snap a pic of the paint label, all to send it to a sweet soul on an Instagram DM…it dawned on me.
Give the people what they want all in one place!
So friend, if you have been wondering what the paint color is in my home office.
Or, if you want to know what my favorite color to paint shiplap is.
Or, if you simply are stuck in the world of blue gray paint chip paralysis?
This post is for you.
Are you ready?
Let’s crack the code to my favorite blue gray paint colors.
(And more.)
In this post, I will share the exact paint colors that are on the walls in our home, and hope to send you off with dose of paint color inspiration for your own home in the process!
Favorite Blue Gray Paint Colors & Where They Are In Our Home
Now, can you guess which room receives the most inquiries about paint color?
Drumroll please…
Yep, there she is.
Our coastal inspired blue painted family room receives the MOST questions in relation to color.
A funny little side story about the mystery behind this blue paint color.
I actually fell in love with this color nearly 8 years ago.
(That’s right – this paint color has lasted the test of time)
I was visiting a friend in her home and I loved this color so much…that at the end of the night, when it was time to leave?
I left with her paint can.
I buckled that paint can in next to me and we drove off into the sunset…happily ever after.
I kid about actually buckling my prince charming paint can in…but honestly?
It was love at first sight.
This coastal blue paint color and I, are still going strong today.
So what is this mysterious favorite coastal blue paint color of mine?
I went to Sherwin Williams last week to get the exact details for you so that you too, can ride off into the sunset with your coastal blue prince charming paint can.
Here is the EXACT paint color that we have in both our family room and in my home office, which is the room that adjoins our family room.
I also talked to the color experts at Sherwin Williams and found out that there is a SW paint color that is a near 100% match to the custom color match information shown in the picture above.
Niebla Azul by Sherwin Williams is a near perfect match to the custom paint color we have in both our family room and my home office.
Here are a few more pictures of this serene and coastal color that we have in our living room and my adjoining home office.
Now that we have covered my most FAQ about what my favorite coastal blue paint color is and seen the two rooms where we have used it in our home…
Now, we are ready to talk about the paint colors on the other half of the first floor of our home.
One more thing before we leave the living room!
This is a perfect place to pause and notice this open cased entry that adjoins our family room to our entryway.
Why?
You can easily compare the coastal blue shade of Niebla Azul to the more gray blue paint color that we have in our entryway.
You will notice that the family room is more of a blue with gray undertone, whereas the entryway color is more gray with a blue undertone.
Moving on!
I have a secret about the entryway, hallway, kitchen and dining room spaces.
Can you guess what the secret is?
All of these spaces are painted the same color.
From the entry way, down the hall, into the kitchen that opens to our dining room is all painted in Manhattan Mist by Behr (760E-2).
Here’s the thing.
I love a cohesive and calming aesthetic.
I love walking into our home and being welcomed with a soft place to land…a color that is comforting and calls you in to leave the chaos at the door.
That is what this calming blue gray paint color does for me.
Deciding to carry this one color of Manhattan Mist by Behr, throughout half of our first floor has created a space where my eyes do not have to absorb and interpret a lot of “eye clutter.”
The world is loud enough outside our font door…am I right?
When I enter and walk through our home, I personally do not want to be greeted with a foyer that shouts:
“Look at me! I am sage green!”
And a Hallway that shouts: “No, no, look at me! I am indigo blue!”
And then turn the corner to a kitchen that yells: “No, no look at me! I am a moody maroon!”
Don’t get me wrong.
I do like variation and bold colors.
In fact, our master bedroom is painted in an indigo blue shade and she has served us well for almost 9 years.
Our blue bedroom is painted in Magic Spell by Behr.
While, I do enjoy playing with a variety of paint palettes upstairs in our bedrooms.
Downstairs?
I love the calming cohesiveness that occurs when you carry the same color throughout a space and allow it to serenely surround you.
So?
I opted for the blue gray paint color of Manhattan Mist to also help purposefully serve the flow of that connected path, versus fight against it by bringing in multiple paint colors.
I knew I loved Manhattan Mist when my Mom used it to paint her entire living space of her newly renovated rancher in this beautiful gray blue paint color.
Every time I walked into her home it felt like we were visiting a vacation home, like a relaxing VRBO that you never had to leave.
Sherwin Williams was able to color match Manhattan Mist by Behr so that we could copy this gray blue color that I had fallen in love with.
Here is the Sherwin Williams custom color information for Manhattan Mist if you prefer SW paint over Behr:
We painted the columns in our kitchen, the vaulted ceiling and essentially any non-shiplapped wall of our entryway, hallway, kitchen and dining room in Manhattan Mist.
(Side note: Our Kitchen island color is Surfstyle. We ordered our kitchen island cabinets from Lowes. You can read all about our DIY kitchen island remodel here in this post. )
Speaking of shiplap…we have a few walls in our home that we have shiplapped…and maybe a ceiling. 🙂
To know me…is to know that I love shiplap.
The question I am asked all the time is:
“What color is your shiplap painted?”
And the answer is:
We have painted all of the shiplap in our home in Alabaster by Sherwin Williams.
I love the creamy white palette that Alabaster offers, with a soft yellow undertone, it creates a gentle vibe (versus stark and cold) that is perfect for layering your home in neutral, clean colors.
The shiplap that is installed behind our floating shelves in the kitchen, is painted in Alabaster.
You can read about our DIY floating shelves (and how we saved a ton of money on them) here in this post.
The shiplap ceiling that Shawn installed in my home office is painted in Alabaster.
You can read the post about the shiplap ceiling here.
And, the shiplap in Eve’s coastal bedroom is also painted in Alabaster.
You can see the before and after of her girl’s bedroom makeover with shiplap here in this post.
Eve’s coastal inspired bedroom, brings me to another blue gray paint color that is not to be ignored.
Meet Krypton by Sherwin Williams.
Last week, I shared all of my tips on how to decorate a coastal inspired room. You can see more pictures of the bedroom painted in Krypton, here in this post.
Personally, I think Krypton works especially well, when it is paired with a variety of creams and whites to help lighten the space, creating an atmosphere of coastal inspired calm.
Yes please.
And, last but certainly not least….
A blue gray paint color not to be forgotten, is the tried and true color that is, Gray Screen by Sherwin Williams.
I have used Gray Screen to paint walls, our old kitchen island, bathroom cabinets and furniture in our home and she never ever disappoints.
I love the perfect balance that this blue gray paint color offers, which may mean I have saved the best for last with Gray Screen.
If you are looking for a blue gray paint that plays nicely with the champagne bronze finishes that are so popular right now…look no further.
In the picture above, you can see that I painted our bathroom vanity cabinets and the walls, all in Gray Screen. I recently shared how the painted cabinets are holding up after 20 months of use. You can see the post here.
Gray Screen is also a fun color to play with if you are looking to update furniture with paint, as I have done below, with this dresser that once held onesies and adorable pink trim scallop socks.
Yes, this dresser was and the dresser that we stood next to and changed all the diapers for all three tiny tushies…and thanks to Gray Screen and new drawer pulls, she has been brought back to life.
Ok my sweet friends.
There you have it.
My favorite tried and true blue gray paint colors that have stood the test of time over here in Krout-land.
Favorite Blue Gray Paint Colors:
Niebla Azul – Sherwin Williams (Living room, Home office)
Manhattan Mist – Behr (Entryway, Hallway, Kitchen & Dining Room)
Krypton – Sherwin Williams (Coastal Teen Girls Bedroom)
Gray Screen – Sherwin Williams (Master Bathroom & Dresser)
And of course…we can’t forget shiplap in Alabaster By Sherwin Williams. :)
I hope this post has helped offer you inspiration and strategy, when it comes to picking out a timeless blue gray paint color that will welcome you home, help you slip off your shoes and tell you to stay awhile.
Living on a prayer,
Heather
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- Photo Credit to Breanna Kuhlmann of Breanna Kuhlmann Lifestyle Photography.
Leslie Watkins says
Oh, this is perfect timing! I am on color number 6 in my bedroom sampling…the colors vary so much in that room. The lighting is so tricky. Can’t wait to give one of your favorites a try. Wish me luck!
Heather Krout says
Oh boy!! You are so right! Some rooms can be so tricky to find the one that is just right and that works at all times of the day! I am glad this paint color post was helpful! Can’t wait to hear what you decide to do with your bedroom paint color! XO, Heather
Mary from Life at Bella Terra says
Heather, thanks for the color recommendations. I have always found that paint color changes with the amount of light in a room. I always have to put up some samples and then live with them through the day as light SO impacts how color looks. It appears your home has a lot of natural light and the colors are so beautiful. Great post!
Heather Krout says
Thank you Mary for your kind comment!! I totally AGREE!! Light changes everything!!! It always amazes me how much a paint color can change throughout the day based on the amount of light coming in from the windows! Thank you so much for reading Mary! XO, Heather