Benjamin Moore Hale Navy: Undertones, Lighting, & Best Uses

Benjamin Moore Hale Navy is a dark, cool, classic shade of navy blue. Its timeless look makes it popular with homeowners and renters, as it works well on kitchen cabinets, islands, accent walls, and some exteriors.

However, colors with low LRVs like Hale Navy can look different in person than online, especially as lighting conditions and interior finishes change. That’s why sampling and comparing similar shades matters. This, along with reading all of its juicy details, is the best way to find your best paint color (short of hiring me – wink wink).

Could Hale Navy be the best color for your home? It has some serious potential, so let’s find out.

IS HALE NAVY A NAVY BLUE?

While colors are subjective, if you ask most of my clients and me, Hale Navy is one of the more classic, timeless navy blue paint colors. Softer than primary blue and less regal than royal blue – it really is the epitome of ‘navy blue’.

But again, perception plays a huge role. Whereas some think Hale Navy is the best navy blue, others think blues like Benjamin Moore Newburyport Blue (below) are more classic – neither is wrong…

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Are there other options if your version of navy has more or less blue? You bet your cute little booty there is, and we’ll hit those shortly.

THE LRV OF HALE NAVY

To gauge a color’s depth, we can look at its LRV (which kind of tells you how light or dark a color is on a scale of 0-100 – it’s actually more complicated, but you get the idea).

Hale Navy has an LRV of 8.36. The blackest black we have available in paint has an LRV of 2.45. While these numbers might seem close, and they are, in the world of ‘is it black or not’, Hale Navy sure as heck ain’t black.

Consider this next image…

There are 2 big factors to consider…

1. This wall doesn’t get a direct hit of natural light, only reflected light.
2. The average person has a hard time taking good interior photos and getting colors to show up as they do in real-life. Combined with tricky lighting, a color can look a bit off compared to reality.

Now look at Hale Navy on this painted kitchen island…

In comparison, this island likely has the same paint sheen/finish (satin), but receives a direct hit of natural light – it’s the same color, but looks waaaay different.

Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life. The Ultimate Guide to Paint Colors & LRV.

If you ask me personally whether it’s too dark, the answer is usually no, so long as your room has ‘adequate’ or better lighting. If you have a dark room, yeah, it could be too dark and not have enough color (chroma) to show up.

In all, Hale Navy holds its own in a wide range of lighting, even in somewhat low-light areas. Sure, it can look flat and drab in a super dark room, but that’s about lighting, not the paint color itself.

IS HALE NAVY WARM OR COOL?

Hale Navy is definitely a cool paint color – not a wink o’ warmth to be found in this fella! The reality is that blue is a cold color, so no matter which blue you sample, it’s cold. From there, it’s more about undertones, which leads us to our next topic!

WHAT’S THE BEST LIGHTING (LIGHT BULB KELVINS) FOR HALE NAVY?

The best Kelvins (temperature of light bulbs) are personal and depend on what works best for you. However, the best Kelvins for certain COLORS are way less subjective.

A color like Hale Navy loves light bulbs with Kelvins around 3000K. Can you go a bit lower? Yes, and you’ll get a look something like this…

While the cabinets don’t look like their genuine blue hue, they still look pretty. Warmer light softens the look of cool colors like this.

On the other hand, this bathroom has natural light shining on the cabinets, and Hale Navy looks more like its real self. If I were to relate this to Kelvins, I’d say approx. 3500-4000K…

However, it’s one thing to have cool natural light; it’s another thing to have a cooler interior, artificial light. The average person enjoys lighting with Kelvins between 2700-3500K. Above that, and a space can appear more unwelcoming and cold.

Light Bulb Kelvins & Paint Colors

WHAT ARE HALE NAVY’S UNDERTONES?

Blue paint colors can be tricky, as there are 3 main types of blues that can show up on your walls…

1. TRUE BLUE: few and far between
2. BLUE-GREEN: Still dominant with blue, but has a little or a lot of green. Most people see these as warmer than blue-purples (but it’s perception, not fact). Many of the most popular dark blues have a touch of green, but are perceived as being TRUE blue or slightly BLUE-PURPLE – again, it’s just our eyeballs vs. our brains.
3. BLUE-PURPLE: The blue is still dominant, but it has a little or a lot of purple (red) mixed in.

What I love about Hale Navy is that it tends to look pretty darn balanced and doesn’t lean hard one way or the other (it most often favors purple over green if pushed). Sure, it could be ‘slightly’ influenced by its environment, but generally speaking, it’ll be pretty true blue (rare!).

Get your Peel & Stick sample of Hale Navy and compare it to similar shades (coming up). 

HALE NAVY & LIGHTING

Like any paint color, Hale Navy is influenced by how much natural light your room (or exterior) gets and its exposure. In the next photos, notice how Hale Navy subtly shifts between day and night, looking a bit more toned down in the second photo (night)…

With its striking blue hue, Hale Navy should look great in any exposure. Some blues with more gray can fall a bit flat or dull in rooms with cooler and flatter exposures – make it dark, and it’s a double-whammy (Tim’s favorite Friday night move). With its extra dose of chroma (color), Hale Navy often rises to the occasion.

HALE NAVY IN A DARK ROOM

As shown in the above office, Hale Navy still looks navy. Now, check it out in this next home office, where the owner wanted a contrasting, dramatic palette…

Notice how it looks a bit flatter- not black (compare it to the light switch), but not as blue as it looks in daylight.

HALE NAVY IN DIFFERENT EXPOSURES

While there’s no way to predict how a paint color WILL look, here’s what you might expect.

EASTERN AFTERNOON/WESTERN MORNING: These lights can be a bit cold and flat-looking. The color (vs. gray) in Hale Navy helps it hold up better than many others, as long as the room gets ENOUGH natural light.

NORTH-FACING LIGHT: While some cold colors can look icy in northern light, Hale Navy can add a nice dose of personality without going over the top, again, so long as there’s ENOUGH light (inside or from the outside).

SOUTH-FACING OR WESTERN AFTERNOON: Hale Navy’s cool look can add a nice balance to warmer-looking rooms.

North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?

The 10 Best DARK Paint Colors for DARK Rooms! 

THE BEST WHITE TRIM OR CABINET COLOR WITH HALE NAVY

If you want to pair Hale Navy with the perfect white paint color, I’ve got some stunners…

• Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace offers a pretty, clean, simple contrast without being harsh.
• I love Benjamin Moore White Dove for a softer, more muted look (fave)
• Some love the play of Benjamin Moore Simply White’s warmth against Hale’s cool vibe.

The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colors

WHERE HALE NAVY DOES (& DOESN’T) WORK BEST

Hale Navy ain’t no one-tricky-pony – it has a lot of potential up its colorful little sleeves. Let’s hit a few general points and then focus on some important topics…

• In a single room (with good lighting or natural light)
• As an accent wall
• On the exterior siding of a home
• On interior or exterior doors
• Kitchen cabinets or islands

DOES IT GO WITH WOOD FINISHES?

OH HAAAALE YES! Hale Navy is a gorgeous partner to many wood stains. Some love how its blue hue bounces off and accents red-stained woods. Others love the classic look of navy blue to complement a golden or honey oak. Not many wood stains/undertones scare me with this bad boy.

COME TO MOMMA – I love how this wood trim plays with Hale Navy…

DOES IT GO WITH CREAM CABINETS & TRIMS?

Not usually, but it can. Some cream finishes (especially glazed ones) are a bit too dirty to pair nicely with Hale Navy. If you have a more muted cream cabinet or trim color, yes, you could try it. Just note that a darker blue often contrasts too much with the yellow found in many creams. Read this for better options: The Best Paint Colors With Cream Cabinets & Trims.

HALE NAVY AS AN EXTERIOR COLOR

I absolutely love it for exteriors. Whether you want it a gorgeous blue hue for your front door or siding, Hale Navy is a classic approach to a navy blue exterior, especially when paired with the right white trim color (discussed earlier).

That said, make sure it suits your home’s roof, brick, and stone finishes. While it complements many bricks, it doesn’t always suit every roof or stone facade. 

The Best Navy Blue Paint Colors

 5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color

HALE NAVY ON CABINETS & KITCHEN ISLANDS

Hale Navy has been popular on cabinetry for decades. While I’ve noticed a huge decrease in the demand for blue cabinets and islands, for those wanting that look, it’s a ‘must sample’.

VERY SIMILAR to Hale Navy (manufacturer’s color)

The Best Blue Paint Colors for Cabinets & Islands

WHAT PAINT COLORS ARE SIMILAR?

When comparing navy blue paint colors, many shades are worth exploring. While I have a blog post dedicated to this topic (linked shortly), here are a few…

HALE NAVY VS. BENJAMIN MOORE EVENING DOVE

While these two colors share a similar intent, they approach it differently. Both are considered ‘navy blue paint colors’. However, Evening Dove is lighter than Hale Navy, as shown by its LRV of 12.02. So, if you worry that Hale Navy is too dark, Evening Dove could be the fix.

Here’s your Peel & Stick of Evening Dove to compare directly to Hale Navy…

As for their approach to blue, you might find that being lighter, Evening Dove’s ‘blue’ shows up at the party a bit more often, but might not seem AS navy (again, perception is at play).

HALE NAVY VS. SHERWIN WILLIAMS CYBERSPACE

When comparing between brands, you’ll never…ever find an exact match – that’s not how it works. Instead, you find alternatives. These alternatives will vary in color, temperature, and depth. Comparing is what helps you choose the best color for your home!

There is no match or ‘damn close’ alternative for Hale Navy in Sherwin Williams’ paint. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some gorgeous colors to sample and compare – similar intentions, but changes in depth, temperature, and intensity. This is where Cyberspace comes to play…

Sherwin Williams Cyberspace is amazeballs. While I love Hale Navy for its stronger approach, the degree of gray-black in Cyberspace gives me all the feels (personal opinion).

Cyberspace has an LRV of 6, so it’s a dose darker than Hale Navy. It also has less color (chroma). Of the two, Cyberspace is FAR more likely to look black in a dark room or a kitchen island that doesn’t get a ton of light.

Some call Cyberspace a dark gray with blue undertones. You can call it whatever you want, all that really matters is finding a color you love. 

Sherwin Williams Cyberspace COLOR REVIEW

FOR MORE BLUE: For a stronger navy blue hue, check out Sherwin Williams Naval and In the Navy (link shows other blues, too), as they pack more of a color punch.

FOR A LIGHTER BLUE HUE: Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue is a gorgeous, lighter approach to navy blue, as is Newburyport Blue (BM site), as shown below…

The Best Colors That Are Similar to Benjamin Moore Hale Navy

COLORS THAT GO WITH HALE NAVY IN A PALETTE…

This color has a lot of friends. Of course, it depends on whether you need a color palette for the other walls in your room (if Hale is the accent wall), an adjoining room, or what have you, but these should get you going…

• GRAY PAINT COLORS: It loves grays with a blue undertone, especially in the light range.
• CREAM PAINT COLORS: A wide range of popular cream paint colors can be gorgeous in your palette, as long as they aren’t TOO yellow.
• WARM OFF-WHITES: If you worry about the degree of yellow in cream, check out these flexible, off-white paint colors.
• TAN PAINT COLORS: It can be partnered with many tan paint colors, as well as shades of light greige or taupe.
• GREENS: If you need a fun color for an accent, check out darker shades of green, although some gray-greens can be pretty, too!
• RUST OR GOLD: Darker blues can look striking with , go fordarker shades of gold and rust.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

For any roaming concerns, questions, or queries…

WILL HALE NAVY LOOK BLACK?

This is a common concern amongst those considering Hale Navy for their home – inside or out. While it’s not built that way (with having a reasonable degree of color (chroma), in some lighting situations it can lean that way slightly.

With decent natural light, Hale Navy is beyond stunning

Some navy blue (ish) colors have a ton of black-gray, and combined with their depth (lower LRV, can look more blue-black in some lights. While Hale Navy is a bit toned down compared to stronger shades of blue, it still has a decent degree of color (chroma) and, combined with its depth, it’s less likely to appear blue-black than many others.

This is why sampling it in your home and its lighting conditions is SO IMPORTANT! 

This is as muted as I’ve evaaaaaah seen it look – this is an exception, not a rule…

Here’s a bedroom with a beautiful Hale Navy accent wall…

Looks pretty dark, eh? Now, let’s compare it to black…

All said, Hale Navy looks more muted/less blue than usual in BOTH photos 

In the last bedroom image, notice how in the corner it comes up a bit more black (and remember, this is a homeowner’s photo-taking skills, not a pro’s). But in areas that get natural light, Hale Navy looks more like itself.

Will Hale Navy look gray?

It can, but it more commonly shows off its beautiful blue hue. There are 3 situations where it can appear more blue-gray or even blue-black…

1. The odd lighting conditions can make it look this way.
2. If you have off-lighting and pair it with brighter, stronger dark blues (colors, fabrics, finishes), sure, it can look a bit gray-blue in comparison.
3. Low-light rooms or walls that don’t get enough natural lighting (same with kitchen cabinets or the back of islands that don’t get enough natural/interior light.

Long story… long. If you don’t give Hale Navy enough light, it can look black-blue-gray, but it usually retains an interesting softness and a vague blue. The question you might be asking now is…

WHAT IF HALE NAVY IS TOO DARK?

Given its lower LRV and chroma, Hale Navy may be too dark for your home (many of my Online Paint Color clients feel this way).

In this case, you can try 3 things…

1. Look at a lighter shade of blue with a similar color approach. Read my review on Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue or check out Newburyport Blue.
2. Ask your paint store to lighten Hale Navy by 25% (waaaaay more subtle than you’d think) or 50%. See how it looks. You’re essentially making a new color, but it could hit just the spot!
3. Consider a dark blue with a similar LRV but more color (chroma). Sometimes a color SEEMS lighter and less heavy when it has more color.

What Paint Colors Are Similar to Hale Navy? Awesome Alternatives

HALE NAVY: PROS, CONS, & CONSIDERATIONS

• Benjamin Moore Hale Navy is a classic, timeless navy blue paint color – if you’re looking for a classic, ‘typical’ navy, this is the place to start.
• Navy blues aren’t as popular for cabinets and islands as they once were. If you don’t care about trends – hit it. If you do, you might consider other options. Gray-blues are definitely more popular.
• It has an LRV of 8.36, so while it’s dark, it’s not black. This LRV will show up better in dark spaces compared to some of the more muted, darker blue hues.
• Its undertones are pretty well-balanced, not overly catering to green or purple. This makes it versatile and easy to decorate with.
• Hale Navy is popular for accent walls, kitchen islands, and front doors (but is used elsewhere).
• It’s not an ‘in-your-face’ dark blue, so if you want a blue with more intent, it won’t hit the spot. Instead, check out these other darker shades of blue.

READ MORE

The 12 Best Navy Blue Paint Colors for Walls, Cabinets & Front Doors!

The Best Dark Blue-Gray Paint Colors

Get the best paint color advice with Kylie M’s Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!

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