Colors that go with Blue for curtains
Blue · #3E6FA3
Blue (#3E6FA3) — a classic mid-blue — pairs best with muted red, dusty rose, ochre & gold, and terracotta & clay. For curtains, choose muted red, drawn from 8 historically-grounded combinations below.
Curtains frame a room and filter its light, so the partners that work read cleanly against both the wall behind them and the daylight through them.
About blue
Blue is a classic mid-blue — a gently muted, cool colour that reads as deep and grounding. As a cool tone it looks most resolved next to warm and neutral partners that add the warmth it lacks, and it needs both lighter and deeper shades nearby for the value contrast the eye reads as finished. That balance is what makes it feel refined in curtains.
- HEX
- #3E6FA3
- RGB
- 62, 111, 163
- HSL
- 211°, 45%, 44%
- CMYK
- 62, 32, 0, 36
Accessibility: put light text on blue for AA legibility (contrast 5:1 against off-white).
Why blue pairs with muted red, dusty rose, ochre & gold, and terracotta & clay
Across the 8 historical combinations below, blue sits most often beside muted red, dusty rose, ochre & gold, and terracotta & clay. That tracks with colour theory: a cool, deep tone like this one wants warm and neutral partners that add the warmth it lacks so the scheme feels intentional rather than flat, and both lighter and deeper partners supply the light-to-dark range the eye needs. Curtains frame a room and filter its light, so the partners that work read cleanly against both the wall behind them and the daylight through them.
- muted red
- dusty rose
- ochre & gold
- terracotta & clay
Using blue in curtains
For curtains, choose muted red and dusty rose. Because blue is deep and grounding, keep it to anchor pieces or a single feature area and let muted red carry the larger surfaces.
8 combinations with blue, from the 1933 Dictionary
Pansy Purple & Olive Ocher +1
Plate 157 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pansy Purple, Olive Ocher, Olympic Blue.
#5a82b3 #7d133a #d6b43e
Jasper Red & Seashell Pink +1
Plate 194 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Jasper Red, Seashell Pink, Olympic Blue.
#5a82b3 #eb5324 #fdd4bd
Cameo Pink & Hay's Russet +1
Plate 231 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cameo Pink, Hay's Russet, Olympic Blue.
#5a82b3 #e0b3b6 #793327
Peach Red & Dark Citrine +2
Plate 274 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Peach Red, Dark Citrine, Olympic Blue, Light Mauve.
#5a82b3 #f15a30 #8b835b #9a72aa
Pompeian Red & Olympic Blue +2
Plate 324 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pompeian Red, Olympic Blue, Aconite Violet, Neutral Gray.
#5a82b3 #ab2439 #a36aa5 #b6bfc1
Cinnamon Buff & Pistachio Green +1
Plate 127 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cinnamon Buff, Pistachio Green, Dark Soft Violet.
#66629c #fdc57e #648f7b
Eosine Pink & Dark Soft Violet +1
Plate 197 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Dark Soft Violet, Neutral Gray.
#66629c #f37f94 #b6bfc1
Ao & White
The classical Japanese 'ao' — an ambiguous blue-green — against pure white.
#3A7D7B #FFFFFF #1C1C1C
Blue in other settings
Other colors
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