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Sherwin Williams Naval

Navy blue is a classic color that will always be popular and Sherwin Williams Naval is by far one of the best out there. It’s pure and lovely and I can’t wait to share all the details with you here today.

Navy blue is definitely considered a neutral according to designers. Why you might ask? It’s because it goes with any other color out there.

If you have trouble pairing colors together then I recommend going with a navy blue because it will hands down go with whatever other decor or paint colors you have. It’s a wonderfully versatile color that will enhance the look of any home.

If you have been around At Lane and High for very long then you know that I have been changing the colors in my home. I have been adding a lot of blue-gray paint colors. The cooler tones look so much better than the warmer gray paint colors.

Blue has quickly become one of my favorite colors and I am super excited to talk about one of the best here today, Sherwin Williams Naval.

A swatch of Sherwin Williams Naval with text overlay.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more details see my full disclosure.

What color is Sherwin Williams Naval?

Naval was chosen by Sherwin Williams as their color of the year in 2020. They wanted a color that was bold but also had roots in nature.

Naval is a very dark blue but it’s very neutral. It will look slightly different depending on the amount of natural light a room gets, even the light bulbs used in lamps. But overall the color will remain a very dark navy blue.

What kind of undertones does Naval have?

Naval is a true blue color. It doesn’t really have any other undertones except blue. There is a touch of gray in it which keeps it feeling neutral but not as much as its counterpart Benjamin Moore Hale Navy.

A smaller swatch of Sherwin Williams Naval with text overlay.

What is the LRV of Naval?

Naval has an LRV of 4, that’s right a 4. That is pretty dark folks.

Just in case LRV is new to you, it stands for Light Reflective Value and is a scale that measures how much light a color reflects. Zero is the darkest and 100 is the brightest. So yeah, a 4 is a pretty dark color.

Hale Navy is an 8 on the LRV scale, so if you want a dark color Naval would be a better choice.

How to know if a paint color is right for you?

The best way to judge if a color is good for you then you will want to put a swatch on the wall and look at it over a few days. Look at it in different lights and decide if you really like it.

You can do this by getting a sample from the paint store and using a brush put it up on the walls, but then you are left with a can that you can’t do anything with. Those samples are used with poor-quality paint and aren’t meant for use on your walls permanently.

I recommend going with Samplize. They are a company that will send you a 12X12 peel and stick swatch of a paint color that you can stick to the wall. When you are done just peel it off and throw it away.

It’s easy and much less messy!

What colors go with Sherwin Williams Naval?

Like I said before, anything goes with Naval. It’s a very versatile color that can be the star of the show or the perfect backdrop to your artwork and accessories.

Sherwin Williams has some recommendations on good colors to pair with Naval. They recommend Tarnished Trumpet, Midday, and Kale Green.

A grid of four colors, Naval with an orange, yellow and green.

I love the boldness of these colors and how they look compared to Naval. Especially Kale Green, I do love the green colors right now.

What white colors look best with Sherwin Williams Naval?

There are so many whites that would work with Naval. Pairing a dark paint color like navy blue with a crisp white always makes a huge impact so here are my favorites:

These are great colors to use on trim, cabinets, or on walls next to Sherwin Williams Naval.

Sherwin Williams Naval vs. Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

These are probably the two most popular navy blues on the market right now. They are both stunningly gorgeous colors but they do have subtle differences.

Hale Navy has more gray undertones than Naval therefore the color comes across a little more muted. Naval has more saturation of color.

Sherwin Williams Naval Whole Home Color Palette

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Sherwin Williams Naval in Real Rooms

Naval In A Dining Room – Used on all the walls!

A dining room with Naval on the walls, a very colorful rug and a wood dining table with lots of flower arrangements on top.
Source: Thistlewood Farms

This stunning dining room from Thistlewood Farms was gorgeous before Naval came along. But now that the walls are this stunning dark blue color the room has so much personality and excitement!

Naval on the Exterior

A children's playhouse with saltbox style roof, the siding is Naval and white and lots of wood accents.
Source: Vintage Revivals

This gorgeous playhouse has Naval on part of the exterior. If it looks this good on a playhouse imagine how good it would look on your home!

You can see how well the dark blue pops with the whites and lighter wood colors. I also love the greenery that is in and surrounding the playhouse. Naval definitely has it’s roots in nature.

Naval on the Front Door

A front porch of a brick house with Naval on the door, white trim and two black planters with ferns in them.
Source: On Sutton Place

On Sutton Place always has the most gorgeous front porch. When she painted her door Sherwin Williams Naval she really took the porch to another level.

The color looks so good with the planters flanking the door all year round. It doesn’t matter what plants or flowers are in them, the door color always coordinates perfectly.

Naval on Cabinetry

A kitchen with the cabinets in Naval, a marble countertop and backsplash and lots of gold accents.
Source: Sherwin Williams

As you can see from this photo Naval looks amazing on cabinets in a kitchen. I love all the gold accents used. The colors go so well together.

I also really feel like the dark color grounds the kitchen and allows the airiness of the open shelving and gorgeous marble backsplash to stand out.

Naval in a Family Room

A family room with board and batten painted white and Naval above, a beige couch, dark hardwood floors and yellow accents.
Source: It All Started with Paint

This is a family room I could really spend some time in. I love the board and batten with the dark navy blue above! The dark floors really warm up the space too.

Naval works so well with other colors as you can see from this photo. There are so many other colors and they all go so well together.

Naval on the Ceiling

A boys room with Naval on the ceiling with white stars, blue and white striped curtains and light hardwood floors.
Source: Little Bits of Home

I love using design elements to create unexpected moments. This is a great example of that.

Who would think to use such a dark color on the ceiling?! I love it though!!!!

This is a perfect little boys’ room. How wonderful to lay in bed and look up at your very own starry sky!

Naval in a Bedroom

A bedroom with Naval on the walls, white curtains, a gray upholstered headboard, white bedding and a wood nightstand.
Source: Everyday Reading

Here you can see Naval used on the walls of a bedroom. Dark and moody bedrooms have become really popular in the last several years. Naval is the perfect color to use if you want to achieve this type of look.

Other Paint Color Posts You Might Like:

A grid of six rooms incorporating Naval and text overlay.

As a licensed Real Estate Agent and an avid home decorator, I strive to give my clients the very best I can when it comes to staging, selling, and decorating their homes. I have lots of experience with paint color choices and love to DIY my home so I can have everything just the way I want it. I share my ideas and projects with the world in the hopes that I can help others have their homes just the way they want as well.

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