Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones

Blue gray paint colors are fresh, modern and work with any design style. They look sophisticated and stylish in any home. Read on to see some of the most popular blue gray paint colors for 2022!

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones

Table of Contents show

1 What is a Blue Gray Color?

2 Why Are Blue Gray Paint Colors So Popular?

3 What Rooms are Best To Use These Colors in?

4 What are the Most Popular Blue Gray Paint Colors?

5 Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray

6 Benjamin Moore Santorini Blue

7 Benjamin Moore Water’s Edge

8 Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray

9 Benjamin Moore Summer Shower

10 Benjamin Moore Smoke

11 Benjamin Moore Gentle Gray

12 Benjamin Moore Gray Wisp

13 Benjamin Moore Arctic Gray

14 Sherwin Williams Icy

15 Sherwin Williams Krypton

16 Sherwin Williams Serious Gray

17 Sherwin Williams Morning Fog

18 Sherwin Williams Silver Strand

19 Behr – Light French Gray

20 Behr Reflecting Pool

21 Final Thoughts

22 Looking For More Interior Paint Colors?

What is a Blue Gray Color?

I know what you’re thinking – what on earth is blue gray paint (or gray blue paint, depending on what you call it!). According to Wikipedia, blue gray is a color that is a blue with strong gray undertones, or conversely, a color that looks gray on the color swatch but actually has a strong blue undertone.

Blueish gray color recommendations are one of the most requested in my Home in Progress Facebook group (a great group for seeking decorating and paint advice!)

I always start by pulling out color samples to make sure we are on the same page – whether they want a gray with a strong blue undertone, or a blue with a gray undertone.

Whether you want a grayish blue or a blueish gray, I’ve got you covered!

Doing the painting yourself? My favorite tools and supplies will make the job quicker and easier.

Blue grey paint colors are fresh, modern and work with any design style. They look sophisticated and stylish in any home. They are popular because they work with any style of home decor.

These paint colors work particularly well in bedrooms and bathrooms because they are soft, soothing and relaxing colors. We can all use more sleep so if a paint color can help, that’s even better!

The blue-gray colors that I’m sharing with you today are some of my favorite colors to work with, especially when trying to create a modern coastal feel.

However, these paint colors will work with any decorating style and in and room of your home – yes, they are inherently suited to bedrooms and bathrooms, but work equally well on living room walls, front doors and even kitchen cabinetry.

Personally, I like to stick with the colors that are closer to gray with a blue undertone, as they are a more neutral canvas for me to work with.

The colors that are a stronger blue tone work wonderfully when paired with white wainscoting, as a kitchen island color or even as a door or cabinet color. They also make for serene nursery, bedroom or bathroom paint colors.

What Rooms are Best To Use These Colors in?

The bluer colors work best in bedrooms, bathrooms and nurseries. The grayer shades are better for the other rooms of your home.

Any of the shades would work for a stunning cabinet color. Get creative! Paint your bathroom vanity, kitchen island or laundry room cabinets for a a pretty pop of color against a neutral background.

There are several blue gray paint colors that have proven popular in 2021 and again in 2022:

Benjamin Moore Blue Gray Paint Colors

Click on the paint color name to order a real peel & stick paint sample.

  • Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray (the most popular)
  • Benjamin Moore Water’s Edge
  • Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray
  • Benjamin Moore Summer Shower
  • Benjamin Moore Smoke
  • Benjamin Moore Gentle Gray
  • Benjamin Moore Gray Wisp
  • Benjamin Moore Arctic Gray

Sherwin Williams Blue Gray Paint Colors

  • Sherwin Williams Icy
  • Sherwin Williams Krypton
  • Sherwin Williams Serious Gray
  • Sherwin Williams Santorini Blue
  • Sherwin Williams Silver Strand

Behr Blue Gray Paint Colors

  • Behr Light French Gray
  • Behr Reflecting Pool

Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray

Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray is a light grey blue paint color. It leans closer to gray but with the softness of blue. It’s very pretty and feminine, and works wonderfully as a door, kitchen island (see it in our kitchen remodel) and as a wall color, too.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Boothbay Gray kitchen island

I’ve had this particular image (below) pinned to one of my Pinterest boards for several months and it really makes me want to paint all my doors and add brass hardware. It’s so pretty!

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray Doors – via Rachel Parcell

Benjamin Moore Santorini Blue

Santorini Blue is a color I’ve loved for years but have yet to use in my own home. It’s one of those colors that looks amazing paired with crisp white wainscoting.

This is a paint color that’s definitely a blue, but with a gray undertone. However, the gray side is more apparent in a room with less sunlight.

It’s a great choice for a blue gray bathroom wall color, but look would also look stunning on a kitchen island or even laundry room cabinets.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Santorini Blue Bathroom – via Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore Water’s Edge

Decidedly more blue with just enough gray to tone it down, Water’s is a fun pop of color in this otherwise neutral entryway.

This is another blue gray color that has a lovely coastal feel, especially when paired with lots of bright white trim.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Benjamin Moore Water’s Edge Front Door – via Life on Virginia Street

Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray

Nimbus Gray is one of those colors that completely changes color based on the time of the day and lighting in your home. Sometimes it’s blatantly blue and at other times it’s a moody gray, and yet other times there’s even a wee hint of green. I’m tempted to refer to this one more as a blue-green-gray!

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray Over Wainscoting via My Green Brae Cottage

Benjamin Moore Summer Shower

The name alone is so pretty, right? This is a very soothing paint color for a bedroom or bathroom but would work equally well for a cabinet door or island.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones

Benjamin Moore Smoke

These Smoke painted cabinets are another image that I’ve been drawn to for a while now. When I saw this laundry room reveal from Jillian Harris, I immediately wanted to paint my cabinets the same color.

I ended up choosing Boothbay Gray instead, but I definitely want to use this one at some point.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
BM SMoke via Jillian Harris

Benjamin Moore Gentle Gray

Proof that blue-gray colors are not just for bedrooms and bathrooms. To truly create a soft, casual coastal feel in your home, flow a soft blue-gray like Benjamin Moore’s Gentle Gray throughout the main floor.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Blue Gray entryway via HomeBunch

Benjamin Moore Gray Wisp

This is another one of those blue-green-gray colors! I love these colors because green undertones work really well with warmer wood tones, and stop the blue-gray part from feeling cold.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Gray Wisp Bathroom via DecorPad

Benjamin Moore Arctic Gray

Is it gray? Is it blue? Is it green? Are you seeing a trend with these chameleon colors? Arctic Gray does actually lean a bit green/blue.

Pay attention to the top of the wall which is getting a lot of natural light and compare it to the bottom where it’s pulling more bue/green. These undertones make it stunning in a bathroom, don’t you think?

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Arctic Gray Bathroom via The Lilypad Cottage

Sherwin Williams Icy

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones

Icy (SW6534) is a beautiful light blue gray.  You won’t confuse this with a gray paint color. It is truly a blue with a gray undertone.  

The gray undertone stops it being too babyish or feeling like a color that should be a nursery. It’s perfect for bedroom and bathrooms and works well in both bright and darker rooms.

Sherwin Williams Krypton

One of my new favorite colors, Krypton is a light gray with a light blue undertone. Depending on who you ask, they will say it’s either gray or baby blue.

How it looks in your home will depend upon the exposure of your room and how much natural light it gets.

I love how Chrissy Marie painted both her island and pantry door this soft shade. It works so well with the bright white cabinets and brass accents, for the perfect cool, coastal vibe.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Blue and White Kitchen via Chrissy Marie Blog

Sherwin Williams Serious Gray

Serious Gray is one of my all-time favorite chameleon colors. I would classify it as a dark gray blue paint color, but sometimes it looks completely gray and only in brighter light you may notice the blue. That’s kinda why I love it so much!

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones

I adore how it changes depending on the time of day and space that it’s in. I’ve used it in multiple spaces in my home, from the inside of my front door, to my bathroom and even the backs of my living room built-ins. It’s also a really good accent color for repose gray, my go-to wall color in our house.

It’s moody and dramatic and so pretty!

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Master Bathroom Makeover

Sherwin Williams Morning Fog

Morning Fog is a shade lighter on the color card than Serious Gray. I chose it for our inside of our mudroom and garage doors. It’s a beautiful color and I love how it adds color to our otherwise white kitchen.

Unfortunately, it can have a slight purple/lavender undertone at certain times of the day.

If you’re looking for a gray-blue that sticks to those two colors and doesn’t skew into purple, it might be best to avoid it.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
How to Paint a Door via Jenna Kate at Home

Sherwin Williams Silver Strand

Silver Strand is a great choice when you want to keep things fairly neutral on your walls. It’s a beautiful light gray with a blue undertone that really pops against white and lots of greenery. It feels very clean and fresh.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Sherwin Williams Silver Strand – via The Lilypad Cottage

Behr – Light French Gray

Behr’s Light French Gray (not to be confused with the Sherwin Williams color of the same name) is another beautiful blue-gray color.

I originally chose it for our master bedroom when we moved into our house several years ago, but had to switch it out for a less “blue” color as it made our north-west facing room feel very cold.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones
Behr Light French Gray Bedroom – Jenna Kate at Home

I definitely recommend using it in a room that gets warmer light to stop it feeling overly blue and cold.

Behr Reflecting Pool

Reflecting Pool is a very popular Behr grey paint color. We’ve used it several times, in both homes that we’ve owned.

When I hear light blue gray paint, this one immediately springs to mind. It’s a very light color that definitely looks pale gray in some lights and almost baby blue in other light.

Benjamin moore light grey with blue undertones

It’s very soft and calm, perfect for a bathroom or nursery. We even used it in our basement and kids’ playroom.

Reflecting Pool is actually one shade lighter than Behr’s Light French Gray which was directly mentioned above.

Final Thoughts

Now that I’ve shared some of the best blue gray paint colors, can you pick a favorite?

I hope I’ve provided some inspiration for your future paint projects today! These blue gray paint shades are the perfect way to add a cool neutral, spa-like feeling to any room in your home

Don’t Forget To Always Use Real Paint Samples!

Don’t forget – no matter what you’ve read or photos you’ve seen online, it’s really important to sample paint colors in your home before committing!

Samplize provides real paint samples that are easy to move around your home, and cheaper than buying a gazillion paint pots! It’s the only way I buy paint samples.

What grey has a blue undertone?

Tinsmith is a light-medium gray with a soft, blue undertone. Add a wink of green and you'll have Sherwin Williams Front Porch.
What are the Most Popular Blue Gray Paint Colors?.
Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray (the most popular).
Benjamin Moore Water's Edge..
Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray..
Benjamin Moore Summer Shower..
Benjamin Moore Smoke..
Benjamin Moore Gentle Gray..
Benjamin Moore Gray Wisp..
Benjamin Moore Arctic Gray..
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl A popular gray paint with interior designers, Gray Owl is a Benjamin Moore best-selling neutral gray paint color. Gray Owl is a light gray with barely-there warm green undertones; in bright natural lighting, it may appear slightly cool.

What is a light grey blue color called?

There is a range of colors called livid colors that combine the colors blue and gray. Some of these colors are shown below. Livid (blue-gray) is the opposite concept from brown.