Colors That Go With Blue
#3E6FA3 · a classic mid-blue
Blue (#3E6FA3) — a classic mid-blue — is a cool, gently muted deep and grounding colour. It pairs best with complementary accent #b57f45, analogous (warmer) #483ea3, and grounding neutrals, drawn from 234 historically-grounded combinations across 13 settings below.
Colour reference
- Hex
- #3E6FA3
- RGB
- 62, 111, 163
- CMYK
- 62, 32, 0, 36
- Temperature
- cool
- Lightness
- deep and grounding (44%)
- Contrast on black text
- 5:1 (AA)
Blue by setting
Blue for walls
On walls, use muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for a wedding
For a wedding, pair it with muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for a bedroom
In a bedroom, layer it with muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for a living room
In a living room, ground it with muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for a kitchen
In a kitchen, contrast it with muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for clothes
To wear with it, reach for muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for an outfit
Build the outfit around muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for cabinets
With cabinets, match it to muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for a bathroom
In a bathroom, pair it with muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for a nursery
In a nursery, soften it with muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for a front door
On a front door, contrast it with muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for an accent wall
On an accent wall, pair it with muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Blue for curtains
For curtains, choose muted red. 18 matching combinations.
Combinations with blue, from the 1933 Dictionary
Indigo Blue & Silver
Mid-grade indigo with the quiet sheen of silver — an understated Edo merchant robe.
Ao & White
The classical Japanese 'ao' — an ambiguous blue-green — against pure white.
Citron Yellow & Pale King's Blue +1
Plate 196 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Citron Yellow, Pale King's Blue, Blue Violet.
Jasper Red & Seashell Pink +1
Plate 194 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Jasper Red, Seashell Pink, Olympic Blue.
Cinnamon Buff & Pistachio Green +1
Plate 127 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cinnamon Buff, Pistachio Green, Dark Soft Violet.
Eosine Pink & Dark Soft Violet +1
Plate 197 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Dark Soft Violet, Neutral Gray.
FAQ
What colors go with blue?
Blue (#3E6FA3) — a classic mid-blue — is a cool, gently muted deep and grounding colour. It pairs best with complementary accent #b57f45, analogous (warmer) #483ea3, and grounding neutrals, drawn from 234 historically-grounded combinations across 13 settings below.
Is blue warm or cool?
Blue is a cool colour — 45% saturation, 44% lightness. Balance it with #483ea3 or another warm partner.
What is the hex code for blue?
Blue is #3E6FA3 — RGB(62, 111, 163), CMYK(62, 32, 0, 36).
Other colors
Studio
Work with this colour
You have the hex code, the RGB/CMYK values and the computed partners for Blue. These are the materials a colour study like this actually gets made with.
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Calibrite
ColorChecker Passport Photo 2
A pocket target for fixing white balance and exposure at the moment of capture — the step before any colour correction, if your palette starts from a photograph rather than a screen.
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Passport Photo 2 Portable Color Calibration Kit for Photo and Video, 4 Target Set for White Balance, Exposure and Creative Look
View on Amazon -
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 24 — Art Nouveau
Gansai are traditional Japanese watercolour pans — dense, matte and easy to mix, the closest everyday medium to the flat printed colour Wada's plates were made in. This is the Art Nouveau-themed 'II' edition, a different 24 to the standard set.
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 24 Colors II - Art Nouveau
View on Amazon
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From the archive
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Library
Go deeper on colour
The colour-theory books behind pairings like Blue — history, reference and the science of what works together.
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Torn between the two Wada dictionaries? Vol 1 vs Vol 2, compared plate by plate →
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