How to Work Navy into Your Decor – (Plus Vote on Your Favorite Paint)
I love navy (and all shades of blue) but up until now, I have only added it to my home with accessories…
Ways I Have Decorated with Blue and White
If you have read my blog or Instagram lately, you know I have been babbling on about painting my dining room navy. It’s been red for years and I am finally moving ahead with that decision.
What has held me back? Well, besides my usual decorating procrastination, I wanted the room to flow with the rest of the house without having to change too much. I had to really think about the best way to make the navy work. Now that I have a plan, I will share my thoughts with you.
Here are some tips to work navy (or any new color) into your decor:
1. Assess which pieces are staying.
In my case, I will be keeping the china cabinet, table and possibly the chairs. I will probably end up changing the head chairs to something different but overall the furniture will stay the same. I like the idea of the dark cherry furniture against the navy walls. The rug has a tiny bit of navy in it so it could stay but I have had it for about 19 years so I want to change it eventually.
2. Decide if navy walls will work with the paint colors in the adjoining rooms.
The last thing you want to do is repaint the entire house! Luckily, my kitchen is Manchester Tan, the foyer is White Sand and the living room across the foyer is Bone White so yes, the navy will work with those.
3. Make sure nearby rooms have some navy in them.
This was easy for me since I do have some navy accessories in my kitchen and family room.
My home office down the hall has some navy in it as well.
4. Consider getting rid of the old color from the whole color sche
Since my dining room walls will no longer be red, I will slowly eliminate the red in my home. Like I said above, the dining room rug will eventually go and I also plan to change the foyer rug to something with some navy in it. I am still working on a few simple changes in the living room and getting rid of most of the red in there will help too.
5. Bring one of the colors from the other rooms into the navy room.
Yes, I will be getting rid of the red in the other rooms but I will keep the tans and the greens. Both should work well in my navy dining room.
And because it’s always fun to share your opinions, I would love for you to vote on your favorite paint color for the room.
(I usually use Benjamin Moore so those are what the samples reflect. The Decorators White below the chair rail will stay the same.)
I always paint samples on large boards so I can move them around the room to test out the lighting during different times of the day.
Here are what I have narrowed it down to:
Hale Navy
Deep Royal
Newburyport Blue
If you think I should trash the navy paint idea and just go with something light and bright on the walls (and use navy accessories instead), here is how Winds Breath could look in the room:
Winds Breath
You can leave your vote in the comment section below. Feel free to be honest. You won’t hurt my feelings…After all, it’s only paint!
As you can see by this recent text, one of my best friends was not afraid to voice her opinion…
Thanks for your paint color opinions! I appreciate your help!
** Click here for the update to see what color I chose!
Hopefully my tips above helped you if you are also deciding on adding navy or any new color to your home!
Do you have any navy in your home?
I’d love for you to follow along so you don’t miss a post!
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I like the Newberryport Blue, but all of the colors are lovely. I just painted a cabinet Aubusson blue and posted about it on todays blog.
You just can't go wrong with navy! We have one bedroom with shades of navy in the bedding. I love it and have thought of painting one wall. From the photos I like Newberryport also but who knows in person. I know lots of people use Hale Navy but it looks almost black in these pictures. Either way, the dark color is going to add so much drama. Can't wait to see what you decide.
I know lots have used Hale Navy, and agree with Stacey, it does have a black hue to it. I do like Newburyport. I think it lends itself better to the blue and white accessories you love.
I vote Newburyport, I say it will look fabulous!
I agree with Pam. My former dining room was a similar color and I loved it. I admire you changing. I know I would love to change out my Persian rug for a lighter look but haven't gotten the energy yet. I have similar rugs to yours.
I think the navy will look dramatic and add a lot to your home decor. I will go along with what the others have said and vote Newburyport. It seems the most true navy color from the pictures. I agree that the Hale color has more of a gray/black tone in the pictures. Keep us updated!!
I vote for Deep Royal or the Hale Navy. Love your blog and that you are sharing the process. Your home office looks beautiful. Good luck with it all. Looking foward to follow along.All the best, Tina
I love the Newburyport blue as well. It will look dramatic in your dining room especially with the white. Can't wait to see the finished product!
I think any of the navy's will work. The color you chose will depend on how much light comes in the room. It will make the room look so dramatic and elegant.
Okay, I really fell down the rabbit hole with this one! These are my thoughts about the 3 above: Hale Navy is gorgeous (I've seen it in dining rooms) but too black for your home, I think. If a room isn't very bright, it can be quite gray/black in color. And I'm not sure you'll be happy with Newbury Port Blue because it's not a true navy. I know you won't like this, but there are a couple more you might want to try a sample of! Have you ever tried Hague Blue by Farrow and Ball? You can buy a small sample and though their paints are expensive, it's just one room. Designers consider it the best navy on the planet! Or, if you want to stay with BM try Old Navy, it's a classic navy blue.and my last thought is if you do go neutral, don't do yet another color as you already have two on that floor. Do the same as your entry to keep it consistent. Keep us posted! Can't WAIT to see it done Shelley – no matter which you choose it will look so good and really feel fresh!Sheilaxo
Newport Blue! Kind regards from Sweden, Anneli