I'm a Color Consultant Who Has Had Light Blue Walls in Every Home I've Owned — Here's How to Make Them Feel Modern

As a paint color consultant (and brand ambassador for Farrow & Ball), I’m endlessly playing with colors and combinations from our core palette of 132 shades and archive palette. Light blue is one of those colors I'm always drawn to, so much so that I've used it in nearly every home I've lived in.

Experience has taught me that light blue walls love light; south or south west seem to play to all the nuances of this complex color a treat. Light blue paint is one of those chameleon colors that transitions through the day. With limited natural light, it appears cooler with silvery blue notes, but when the sun falls across it, you get an unexpected softness and a more muted green note becomes apparent — and it's the latter characteristic that is the most fun to play with.

So, where to start? As a paint color consultant, here's the colors that go with light blue best, and how to pick the right shades for each detail in your room.

What Color Trim to Put With Light Blue Walls

My preferred choice of trim combination (with any color) is to find something empathetic, that shares some of the characteristic with the wall color. In the case of light blue paint color, I often err on two of Farrow & Ball's classic whites: School House White or the stronger shade of Off White.

Both have a tiny amount of green through them, which helps draw out the subtle green character of light blue walls even more. But if your preference is for something cleaner and more contemporary, then Farrow & Ball's gentle gray/white, Ammonite, pairs perfectly with light blue walls, too.

If you want to pursue the idea of a darker trim, this is where the fun begins for flourishes of creativity. Douter, a fresh shade from Farrow & Ball's new 2025 collection, would look magnificent here, because it, like light blue, has both properties of blue and green.

Whichever way you choose to go with your chosen trim scheme, you’ll find light blue walls infinitely flexible — it's best to think of the shade as a neutral rather than being confined by the literal name connotations.

What Color Ceiling to Put With Light Blue Walls

In terms of the best ceiling colors to complement light blue walls, if you're blessed with tall rooms, choose a lighter white (again, School House White would work well). If low ceilings are an issue, then you should choose a white paint color that's closer to the wall color — Cabbage White would be a lovely fit, especially if you're wanting a cleaner look. This delicate blue/white plays the part perfectly.

I would avoid anything too dark on the ceiling if you've got low heights, as it may feel too heavy and overwhelming with the gentility of light blue walls, but you can still have fun with stronger accents on your cabinetry or fabrics — a coffee table painted in India Yellow (full gloss) or a built-in bookcase in another one of our new shades, Dibber, a mid-khaki would both look wonderful paired with light blue walls.

What Colors to Put With Light Blue Walls

When scheming the whole room, the first thing you should always do is start by creating a moodboard. If you're after a more traditional look, light blue walls will create a wonderful backdrop to brown furniture and pictures and mirrors in gilt frames.

For something more modern, mid-century modern furniture will also work a treat against light blue walls. Art in cleaner, simpler white frames will create a more urbane feel and it's best to keep the palette of your fabrics to a minimum — putty-colored linen and sage green mohair velvet... maybe a splash of burnt orange on something like an ottoman for a 'lift' in the space.

What Type of Paint Finish to Put With Light Blue Walls

When choosing paint finishes, I know the options can feel confusing, but top of your list should always be practicality. Remember, the same color will feel different as your sheen levels shift from matte vs gloss paint, as light reacts differently — but this can create very subtle moments of interest, such as pairing light blue walls in a Dead Flat (2% sheen) finish, and your radiators in the same shade by in a Modern Eggshell (40% sheen) finish.

The key takeaway to note that you always seem to read more of the color nuances as the sheen level increases, so the blue/green notes of light blue walls will feel more pronounced with a higher sheen.

When it comes to finding complementary colors for light blue walls, your options really are vast. It's a nearly-neutral color that goes with so many other shades, it just depends on how confident you are with clashing colors.