Benjamin Moore has announced Blue Nova as their Color of the Year for 2024! This saturated blue has a delicate periwinkle undertone, and will bring life and calm to your space.
Here we will take a look at some Blue Nova color inspiration, go over some coordinating colors, and of course, see some alternatives from other brands.
What Color is Benjamin Moore Blue Nova (CC-860 aka 825)
I would describe Blue Nova as a denim blue. It is a mid-toned blue with very little gray, and a slight purple undertone.
LRV of Benjamin Moore Blue Nova
The LRV of Blue Nova is 16.98.
What does that even mean?
The LRV of a color indicates on a scale of 0 – 100 how much light a color reflects (or doesn’t reflect). True black has an LRV of 0 and pure white has an LRV of 100.
In the paint world, we are working in a range of about 3 – 93 because no paint color is purely black or completely white.
At 16.98 (17 for simplicity), Blue Nova is a mid-toned paint color. It might sound low on the LRV charts, but truly dark paint colors typically have an LRV of 10 or less.
The hex code for Blue Nova is #5C6E93.
What Are the Undertones of Blue Nova
Blue Nova has definite periwinkle undertones. In fact, two of the dupes for Blue Nova (we will look at those in just a minute!) were classified as purple paint colors by their respective brands.
Is Blue Nova Warm or Cool
Despite creeping into violet territory, Blue Nova is very much a cool blue paint color.
Blue Nova on the Benjamin Moore Color Strip
Here are all of the colors from the Blue Nova color strip:
- Misty Blue (820)
- Blue Ice (821)
- Riviera Azure (822)
- Steel Blue (823)
- Yin Yang (824)
- Blue Nova (825)
- Stunning (826)
Benjamin Moore Blue Nova in a Color Palette
Personally, I would stick to foolproof neutrals when it comes to using Blue Nova. This isn’t likely to be a color that pairs well with any and everything, so you will have to be a bit picky.
Any shade of charcoal, beige, greige, and cream is likely to work well Blue Nova.
Coordinating Colors to Use With Blue Nova
Here are each of the coordinating colors in detail:
Blue Nova with Classic Gray
Classic Gray isn’t so much a gray as it is a greigey off-white. This is a nice alternative to a true beige or having white walls.
See my post about this one here: Benjamin Moore Classic Gray Isn’t Really Gray (Or is it?)
Blue Nova and Wrought Iron
Wrought Iron is a cool undertoned charcoal that works well with most other colors, including Blue Nova!
Blue Nova with White Dove
White Dove is a perfect beige-toned white to complement the blue/purple of Blue Nova.
Read more about this soft white here: White Dove by Benjamin Moore Complete Review (and Dupes!)
Complementary Color for Blue Nova
The “official” complementary color for Blue Nova (the color directly across the wheel) is a not-so-nice saturated warm brown. Revere Pewter is a much more palatable option that you could use as a complementary color.
Blue Nova and Revere Pewter
In the same brown vein, you might also like the deep brown of Urbane Bronze:
What Trim Colors Go With Benjamin Moore Blue Nova?
Here are a selection of popular trim whites from Benjamin Moore that you could use with Blue Nova:
White Paint that Goes with Blue Nova
White Dove with Blue Nova
White Dove (which was also in our color palette) is a great creamy white choice for trim with Blue Nova. It has a nice beige undertone, which is very complementary to shades of blue.
You may find that White Dove looks extra warm and creamy when paired with Blue Nova, so keep that in mind!
Chantilly Lace and Blue Nova
Chantilly Lace is the ultimate undertone-less white from Benjamin Moore. It’s still a little soft though, and is the perfect “just white” for with Blue Nova.
Cotton Balls with Blue Nova
Benjamin Moore Cotton Balls is a bright but warm white. This one will bring subtle warmth while still remaining a bright trim white.
Blue Nova and Simply White
Simply White is similar to Cotton Balls. It’s about as light and bright as you can get with white, but still has definitely creamy tones.
Benjamin Moore Blue Nova for Your Home’s Interior
Prior to being announced as the Color of the Year for 2024, Blue Nova didn’t get a lot of love or attention. This means we will have to use our imaginations a little bit, with these color adjusted and stock photos.
(If you or someone you know has used Blue Nova, we would love to see it! Send me a quick email in my contact page if you don’t mind sharing.)
Benjamin Moore Blue Nova in a Living Room
I adjusted the color in this living room to match how Blue Nova looks on the Benjamin Moore site:
These photos came out pretty close to how Blue Nova will look in your living room. The shadow is a little dark in this next one:
Benjamin Moore Blue Nova on Kitchen Cabinets
We got pretty lucky with this photo, and it really didn’t need adjusting. I think this is a dead ringer for how Blue Nova would look on kitchen cabinets:
Benjamin Moore Blue Nova in a Bathroom
For these bathrooms the color is actually on tile, but I still think it gives a good idea of how Blue Nova will look in a bathroom:
Here’s another one where the color on the tile is a very close match to Blue Nova:
Here is a good example of how Blue Nova will look on a bathroom vanity:
Benjamin Moore Blue Nova in the Bedroom
I did adjust the color on this photo, but it’s still coming out perhaps a little less purple than how Blue Nova will typically look:
Benjamin Moore Blue Nova on an Exterior
Here is an exterior color adjusted to be as close to Blue Nova as I could:
I think this is maybe a little more saturated still than Blue Nova is, but it’s pretty close!
Here is one more:
Blue Nova Compared to Other Blue Paint Colors
Benjamin Moore Blue Nova vs Upward
The Sherwin Williams Color of the Year Upward, is also a blue with periwinkle undertones. I wanted to compare these two because they almost seemed like different shades of the same thing.
Turns out that Upward is not just lighter, it’s also a fair bit more gray. Here is that color strip over a background of Blue Nova, just for fun!
Benjamin Moore Blue Nova vs Hale Navy
Blue Nova and Hale Navy are not all that similar, because Hale Navy is quite a lot darker and more gray. They do both tend to lean on the purple side of blue, rather than the green side.
Dupes for Blue Nova
I didn’t get as close as I normally can to having perfect color matches for Blue Nova. I think this is because it’s such a speficic color, as opposed to a lot of the muted hues we typically gravitate towards.
Here are all of the best dupes from other brands:
Sherwin Williams Blue Nova Equivalent
From Sherwin Williams, the closest match to Blue Nova is the shade Luxe Blue.
Sherwin Williams Luxe Blue (SW 6537)
Luxe Blue is darker, a bit more gray, and a touch less purple than Blue Nova.
Valspar (Lowe’s) Equivalent to Blue Nova
From Valspar, the best match for Blue Nova is the shade Bedtime Story.
Valspar Bedtime Story (4003-8B)
Bedtime Story is a little bit lighter, more saturated, and less purple than Blue Nova.
It’s funny that it’s less purple, but Valspar still classes this one as a purple paint color.
Blue Nova Behr Equivalent (Home Depot)
From Behr, the best color match for Blue Nova, is the shade Charter Blue.
Behr Charter Blue (M530-6)
Charter Blue is a little bit more saturated, and a little less purple than Blue Nova.
Behr also files this color under purples, rather than blues.
Here is another look at all of the dupes:
Blue Nova Pros & Cons
Thanks so much for making it to the end of this post, that really helps my blog! Let’s summarize the pros and cons of Blue Nova quickly:
Pros
- A saturated and soothing mid-toned blue
- A fresh cool choice for accent walls or pops of color
Cons
- Quite specific, with strong purple undertones
- A little fussy when pairing with other colors
Not quite the right color? I’ve got more!
