How to Keep Your Pale Blue Room from Looking Like a Nursery

Show of hands. Who has tried to paint a room pale blue and had it end up looking like a nursery? Pale blue is a tough wall color. By nature, light blue paint looks more blue on a wall than it does on a chip. Meaning, that perfect light gray-ish blue color you see in the store can look like it belongs in a baby’s room in a heartbeat. True—part of that comes down to choosing the right blue. The other part? Choosing the right decor.

First thing’s first. Choosing a color. And, this tip is true for all colors—swatch the darn thing. And, not tiny swatches either. Paint big squares in multiple places so you can see how the color looks in all different lights.

So, you’ve swatched your heart out, found the perfect blue paint color, and it still looks a little…young. What now? Keep scrolling for ten pale blue rooms to use as inspiration.

This might be obvious—but one option when working with light blue is to add other colors to your palette. Preferably, one of the colors should be on the deep side to add some contrast. One example is in this room by Phillip Thomas. The whole room reads sophisticated versus child-like. I particularly like the pop of berry he used in the pillows.

Phillip Thomas Living room — Phillip Thomas

This living room has a similar idea—pops of other, deeper colors, but is a little more…tame than the above room.

Light blue living room with pink pillows by Michael Partenio — MICHAEL PARTENIO PRODUCTIONS

Another pale blue living room with a pop of berry. This one is by Bunny Williams.

Pale blue bedroom by Bunny Williams — Bunny Williams

While the rooms we just looked at use complementary color schemes, this living room, by Cathy Kincaid uses an analogous color scheme. The hints of dark teal help add some contrast to the room.

Cathy Kincaid blue living room — Cathy Kincaid

This kitchen, by Mark D. Sikes, takes a similar approach.

Mark D. Sikes blue kitchen — Mark D. Sikes

Going in a different direction—you can also double down and add more shades of blue, like in this bedroom by Heather Chadduck. Here, the deeper shades keep the room from being too pastel.

Heather Chadduck bedroom — Heather Chadduck

Another Mark D. Sikes creation, this bedroom also doubles down on the blue. All the different patterns and textures help add visual interest.

Mark D. Sikes pale blue bedroom — Mark D. Sikes

This entryway, by Amy Berry uses varying shades of blue and turquoise.

And, yet another Mark D. Sikes design. I know, I know. He’s just so great at using light blues. This one adds a heavy dose if neutrals to the mix. Note how he also includes some black—there’s that contrast again.