Blue kitchen cupboards: pale, duck egg and mid blues
The blues between white and navy, named by the paint makers in their own words, with the primer each takes, how north light changes them, and what makers pair them with.
Updated 30 October 2026 · The Kitchen Resprayer
The short answer
Blue was the most popular kitchen cupboard colour in Houzz's 2026 UK survey (18%). Below navy, the blues split into silvery pale blues, aqua and duck-egg blues with green in them, clear sky blues, mid blues and denim blue-greys.
In a north-facing kitchen, choose a blue with green in it so it doesn't read cold. Makers pair blue most often with white or oak worktops, light wood floors, and brass or chrome handles.
Named blues, in the makers' own words
Grouped by what each maker says the blue leans towards. The primer column is the primer tone Farrow & Ball names on each of its colour pages. No blue here has an LRV on its maker's page, so the table doesn't guess one. For the darkest blues, see navy blue kitchen cupboards.
| Lean | Shade | In the maker's words | Primer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silvery, pale | Farrow & Ball Light Blue No. 22 | "A light silvery blue" | Mid Tones |
| Silvery, pale | Farrow & Ball Skylight No. 205 | "A pale and traditional blue… This pale blue grey" | White and Light Tones |
| Silvery, pale | Farrow & Ball Borrowed Light No. 235 | "a wonderfully pale blue" | White and Light Tones |
| Silvery, pale | Edward Bulmer Aerial Tint | "a soft grey-blue inspired by the colours of an English sky" | - |
| Silvery, pale | Tikkurila Glacier | "Illuminating Blue-Grey" | - |
| Aqua, duck egg | Farrow & Ball Pale Powder No. 204 | "A gentle aqua" | White and Light Tones |
| Aqua, duck egg | Edward Bulmer Ethereal Blue | "sits somewhere between blue, green and grey" | - |
| Aqua, duck egg | Edward Bulmer Vert de Mer | "a rich sea blue… the green depths of the ocean" | - |
| Clear, sky | Farrow & Ball Kittiwake No. 307 | "This clean cool blue" | White and Light Tones |
| Clear, sky | Edward Bulmer Sky Blue | "particularly appealing for painted cabinetry" | - |
| Clear, sky | Tikkurila Cumulus / Forget Me Not | "A Calming, Light Blue Hue" / "Perfect Pastel Blue" | - |
| Mid | Farrow & Ball Lulworth Blue No. 89 | "This fresh mid blue" | Mid Tones |
| Mid | Farrow & Ball Parma Gray No. 27 | "A cool mid blue" | Mid Tones |
| Mid | Farrow & Ball Stone Blue No. 86 | "This warm and timeless blue" | Mid Tones |
| Mid | Tikkurila Atlantis | "A Contemporary Mid-Tone Blue… won't overwhelm a smaller room" | - |
| Mid | Edward Bulmer Fair Blue | "subtle grey and purple undertones" | - |
| Denim, blue-grey | Farrow & Ball De Nimes No. 299 | "could be used on anything from a kitchen island" | Dark Tones |
| Denim, blue-grey | Farrow & Ball Oval Room Blue No. 85 | "the most blackened of our blues" | Mid Tones |
| Denim, blue-grey | Farrow & Ball Inchyra Blue No. 289 | "can read more grey, blue or even green depending on the light" | Dark Tones |
| Bright | Farrow & Ball Cook's Blue No. 237 | "A vibrant blue… perfect for use both in kitchens" | Mid Tones |
| Bright | Edward Bulmer Azurite | "A wonderful choice for making a feature of kitchen cabinetry or a central island" | - |
Quoted from the paint and kitchen makers' own pages, 30 October 2026.
Blue in a north-facing kitchen
The makers don't fully agree on blue in north light. Tikkurila says light or muted blues suit smaller or north-facing kitchens because they reflect light, and Harvey Jones calls lighter blues and blue-greens ideal for smaller or north-facing rooms. Edward Bulmer warns that blues may appear cooler in north-facing rooms, and that stronger blues work best in bright, south-facing ones.
Farrow & Ball's own descriptions point to the way through. Pale Powder, it says, can read almost as a delicate grey in north light but is rarely cold, because of the green pigment in it. Inchyra Blue can read more grey, blue or even green depending on the light. So in a north-facing kitchen, lean towards a blue with green in it, and test it on the cupboards at different times of day.
What goes with blue
Handles
Worktops
Floors
Walls
Duck egg
Choosing between blue and the other popular colours? Kitchen cabinet colours that won't date covers how light and worktops change a colour.
The primer under a blue
Farrow & Ball names a primer tone for each colour, and for blues it ranges across all three: White and Light Tones under pale blues like Skylight, Borrowed Light, Pale Powder and Kittiwake; Mid Tones under mid blues like Lulworth Blue, Parma Gray and Stone Blue; and Dark Tones under De Nimes and Inchyra Blue. Use the primer the maker names for your shade. On a respray, tell the sprayer the exact colour so they can match the primer to it.
Matching an existing blue kitchen
Kitchen makers name their door colours rather than giving paint codes. Magnet's blues include Sky, Portland Blue, Voyage Blue, Mineral Blue, Lake and Midnight; Kutchenhaus sells Fjord Blue, Aqua, Sky and Stone Blue; Masterclass has Light Blue, which it calls "an almost-neutral hue", and Coastal Mist. If you're adding to or repairing a blue kitchen, start from the door range and colour name on your paperwork, then match a paint to a real door, not to a screen.
Sampling a blue
Farrow & Ball testers are £5.95 for 100 ml at B&Q; Edward Bulmer sells a £5 sample pot or a £1.50 A5 colour card. Tikkurila says test in your actual kitchen light, next to the worktop and the floor, and Edward Bulmer says try samples or cards in your own space. Paint the sample on a cupboard door, not a wall, and look at it morning and evening.
Once you've settled on a blue, send two photos for a free respray quote with the shade name in the note.
Where this comes from
- Houzz, 2026 UK kitchen trends report
- Farrow & Ball, Light Blue
- Farrow & Ball, Skylight
- Farrow & Ball, Borrowed Light
- Farrow & Ball, Pale Powder
- Farrow & Ball, Kittiwake
- Farrow & Ball, Lulworth Blue
- Farrow & Ball, Parma Gray
- Farrow & Ball, Stone Blue
- Farrow & Ball, De Nimes
- Farrow & Ball, Oval Room Blue
- Farrow & Ball, Inchyra Blue
- Farrow & Ball, Cook's Blue
- Edward Bulmer, blue kitchens
- Tikkurila, blue kitchen cabinet paint colours
- Valspar, sky blues
- Dulux, guide to blue kitchen cabinets
- Harvey Jones, blue shaker kitchens
- Magnet, blue kitchens
- Kutchenhaus, blue kitchens
- Masterclass Kitchens, light blue kitchen cabinet ideas
- B&Q, Farrow & Ball tester pot
All read 30 October 2026. Firms change their prices and terms; check the current position with them.
Common questions
In the UK, the most popular. Houzz's 2026 UK kitchen survey of 402 renovating homeowners found blue the top cabinet colour at 18%, just ahead of green at 17% and well ahead of grey (12%) and white (8%). Houzz doesn't split blue by shade, so that covers everything from pale blue to navy.
Makers lean yes, with a caution. Tikkurila and Harvey Jones both recommend lighter blues for smaller or north-facing kitchens. Edward Bulmer warns blues may appear cooler in north light. Farrow & Ball says its green-pigmented Pale Powder reads almost grey there but is rarely cold. So in north light, choose a blue with some green in it, and test it.
Either. Harvey Jones calls brass and aged gold a natural partner to blue, with chrome or nickel keeping it crisp and contemporary, and says mixing metals is fine. Tikkurila calls chrome fuss-free. In Houzz's 2026 survey, brushed nickel (19%) just led brass (17%) across all kitchens.
Harvey Jones says white and pale worktops are the most popular with blue, and timber adds warmth. Tikkurila pairs its lighter blues with oak and its richer blues with black; Masterclass puts oak with light blue.
Harvey Jones suggests soft whites, natural timber and warm metals with duck egg, and says avoid stark, cool greys alongside it. For floors it calls light wood a natural partner, with a mid-timber tone to balance a lighter blue.
Farrow & Ball names one for each colour: its White and Light Tones primer under pale blues such as Skylight, Pale Powder and Kittiwake; Mid Tones under mid blues such as Lulworth Blue and Stone Blue; Dark Tones under De Nimes and Inchyra Blue. Use the one the maker names for your shade.
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