Do you want to create the perfect bedroom space with blue paint colors but don’t know where to start? You’re in the perfect place for answers as this guide simplifies the technicalities of bedroom decoration.
Bedrooms are famous for being the relaxation space where homeowners sleep or nap; the color blue sets the mood for that. However, there’s more to bedrooms than sleeping as it sometimes doubles as a reading room and workspace.
Setting the mood is important, and that’s where choosing the right blue color for your bedroom applies. If you want a light blue to soothe, a vibrant bright blue for energy, or an elegant dark shade for inspiration while working, there’s something for everyone.
We’ll start with the steps for choosing the right blue paint, then discuss the creative aspect, including undertones, RGB values, and types of blue paints, before ending with the top picks for 2023.
Steps for Choosing the Right Blue Paint
There’s no need to feel blue about choosing the right blue paint for your bedroom because all the answers are here.
You’ll need to complete seven pre-painting steps: analysis, sizing, lighting evaluation, color observation, and deciding the paint’s long-term value.
Step 1: Analyze The Space and Lighting
You don’t need to be a feng shui expert to create a synergized bedroom theme. Analyzing the space starts by telling you the shade of blue paint that’ll pop best in your bedroom.
The blue wall paint must compliment if you’ve already bought your furniture (bed, wardrobe, shelf, ottoman, and dresser) and drapery. Also, note the sunlight’s entry point into the bedroom, whether by the window or the door.
Well-lit bedrooms don’t need high LRV blue paints, but depending on your taste, it doesn’t rule it out.
Step 2: Measure The Room Size
Use tape to measure your bedroom’s dimensions as bedrooms come in different sizes based on their inhabitant and purpose. They range from kids’ rooms to master, adult, and guest bedrooms.
Master bedrooms are the largest at 10ft x 12ft 6 in - 13ft x 13 ft and often contain king-sized beds. Light blue paint would make the room appear larger unless you complement it with darker tones. Instead, paint your master suite with elegant dark blue paints to give it a snug look while maintaining its austere aura.
The second largest rooms, sized 10ft x 10ft - 10 x 14ft, are the adult rooms with Queen-sized beds, followed closely by guest rooms of 7ft x 10ft - 9ft x 10ft 6in with double beds.
Kids’ bedrooms are the smallest in the home and often measure between 3ft - 5ft x 5ft, although older kids (teenagers to young adults) get 10ft x 10ft for more space. Light blue paints work excellently here because it makes the room appear bigger.
Step 3: What’s the Room’s Position?
Once you’ve determined your room’s size, use a compass to note the sun’s direction. It’ll tell you the intensity of sunlight entering the bedroom daily and the peak time.
Bedrooms are best in East-facing sunlight because it’s bright in the morning without being too hot and reduces to a mild glow as day dwindles into the night. Light to mid-toned blue paints is ideal in this position because they wouldn’t overheat the room when reflecting.
Avoid dark blue paints in North-facing windows because they receive the least sunlight in the morning, albeit stable. So, there’s no hope of soaking in the beautiful morning light. However, it’s an excellent combo for study/work spaces as it becomes cool by night.
West-facing bedrooms get the lowest morning and afternoon light, so it’s your surest bet for keeping undertones at bay. However, as the sun sets, this position becomes overheated towards late noon, leading to flashes of secondary tints.
All positions have advantages and disadvantages, like how the overheated west-facing bedrooms become assets in cold winters. Thus, you can use warm blue shades to accentuate the heat.
Step 4: Evaluate Your Lighting Options
Don’t worry about poorly lit bedrooms since artificial lighting exists to supplement the lack of sunlight. We recommend using cool lighting like white and blue in blue-painted bedrooms for a complementary view. However, note that it’ll make the space dim and dull.
Use warm lighting like yellow bulbs in golden lamp holders for a cozy blue bedroom. It’ll give the room a warm and intense look fit for family bedrooms, unlike white lights that make blue hues appear clean and airy.
Step 5: Conduct Sample Area Testing
Testing the bedroom wall or furniture with hyper-realistic samples like peel & stick strips from Sherwin-Williams or Samplize, Color Chips, or Color Cards gives you a real-time perspective of your chosen blue shade.
Sampling under natural and artificial light gives you a glimpse at the blue color’s undertone. That’ll help you confirm if it’s the best choice for your bedroom alongside other factors — size, lighting, and position.
Step 6: Analyze the Long-Term Value of a Paint Color
It’s more realistic to use light blue paints in adult bedrooms and master suites because grown-ups are better at maintenance. Although the shade would add a much-needed airy aura to children’s rooms, they’ll immediately get dirty.
The best compromise is to use an easy-to-clean finish or pair the shade with a darker tone. If you choose the latter, ensure the light blue paint is on the low-traffic areas like higher walls and trims while the dark shade stays low and within reach.
Step 7: Apply Finishing Touches
Low-maintenance finishes include matte, eg-shel, and flat paints, which rarely retain dirt and debris. When they do, washing it off with a simple soap and water routine is easy. However, they’re not flashy and wouldn’t stand out like high-maintenance finishes.
High-maintenance finishes include gloss, luster, and silk. They’re best used as accent walls or furniture paints because of their brightness and high value (they’re expensive).
Understanding Blue Paints
The generic blue paint is a relaxing hue with subtle undertones making its cool exterior the dominant characteristic, but there’s more to this primary color than its coolness. As a primary hue, blue is at the base of many other tones; hence it presents in different tones.
Scroll down to understand how undertones work and the benefits of choosing each shade of Blue for your bedroom.
What Are The Undertones?
Have you ever wondered why your blue paint looks green, black, or purple under light? Then, you’ve encountered undertones without realizing it. They’re secondary colors existing beneath the veil of paint due to the RGB value.
RGB value amounts to a Hex Code, unique to each color and formed from red, green, blue, and pure black paint. This resulting color sits on a scale of 3 - 97 used to measure its Light Reflectance Value (LRV).
Colors between 3 and 30 are dark, 31 - 45 are medium-dark, 46 - 55 are medium, 56 - 75 are medium-light, and 76 - 97 are light. However, that’s not a strict rule, as undertones sometimes change a blue paint’s LRV and make it appear lighter or darker.
That’s enough of the technical
