Behr BlueprintS470-5 · #5A7A8C · LRV 19

Blueprint has a cool blue undertone through and through. With a hue of 202 degrees it leans very slightly toward the gray-teal side of blue rather than toward purple, which is why it reads relaxed instead of preppy. At 22 percent saturation it is clearly a blue, not a near-neutral, but it is a heavily muted one; there is enough gray mixed in that it never looks primary or juvenile.

The gray softening shows most in dim light and on shaded walls, where Blueprint can flatten toward slate. In bright daylight the blue steps forward and the color looks fresher and more saturated than the swatch suggests.

Test it against your fixed elements. Next to warm beige tile or honey oak, the cool cast intensifies and the contrast is strong. Next to crisp white trim such as Ultra Pure White (1850), it looks clean and balanced. Paint a large sample and check it against flooring, countertops, and any existing blues in the room.

With an LRV of 19, Blueprint reflects roughly a fifth of the light that hits it, so lighting decides whether it feels rich or heavy. In a north-facing room, the cool gray light pushes it toward a stormier slate blue; it can work beautifully for a moody study, but a whole north-facing living room in Blueprint will feel dark by afternoon. South-facing rooms are its best case: steady warm daylight keeps the blue lively all day and softens the gray.

East-facing rooms see it brighter and cooler in the morning, then duskier after noon. West-facing rooms run the opposite way, with the color warming noticeably at golden hour.

Bulb choice matters as much as exposure. Warm bulbs around 2700K take the chill off and make Blueprint feel cozy at night; cool bulbs at 4000K and above exaggerate the gray and can turn it steely. If the room has limited daylight, plan on warm artificial light and plenty of it.

At LRV 19, Blueprint sits at the dark end of versatile. It can cover all four walls, but only in rooms with strong daylight or where you want an enveloping effect: bedrooms, dens, dining rooms, and home offices are its natural territory. In small, dim rooms it closes the space in fast, so treat that as a deliberate choice, not a default.

It is a strong accent color. One Blueprint wall behind a bed or a media unit adds weight without committing the whole room. It performs especially well on kitchen and bathroom cabinets, where its muted depth hides fingerprints better than a bright color and pairs cleanly with brass or matte black hardware.

Outside, Blueprint makes a handsome front door against a white or greige body, and it holds up as a full exterior body color on farmhouse and coastal-style homes with white trim. Skip it for trim itself; it is too dark to frame most wall colors.

For trim and ceilings, Ultra Pure White (1850) is the simplest partner. At LRV 92 it gives Blueprint a crisp, clean edge that suits coastal and modern rooms. If that contrast feels too sharp, Swiss Coffee (12), a warm off-white at LRV 80, softens the pairing and keeps a dark room from feeling stark.

As a second wall color for adjoining spaces, Dolphin Fin (PPU18-15) is a reliable choice. This LRV 47 greige bridges Blueprint's coolness and warmer furnishings, so hallways and open-plan areas flow naturally into the blue room.

For accents, Back to Nature (S340-4), a muted sage green at LRV 38, gives a natural, layered scheme that echoes the blue's softness. If you want deeper contrast, Dark Navy (PPU14-20) at LRV 5 works on a front door or an island beside Blueprint walls. Warm woods like walnut and oak, plus brass or aged bronze metals, keep the overall palette from running cold.

Behr's own deck has several near-twins. Cotton Denim (HDC-FL14-11) matches Blueprint's LRV of 19 almost exactly and shifts just a touch grayer and less saturated; on a wall the two are close enough that most people could not tell them apart, so choose whichever is easier to buy in your line.

Ocean Shadow (PMD-65) is a step darker at LRV 17 and drifts slightly toward teal. In a bright south-facing room the difference nearly disappears, but in dim light Ocean Shadow reads noticeably moodier. Pick it when you want a heavier, more enveloping version of the same idea; pick Blueprint when the room needs every bit of reflected light.

Catalina Coast (PPU13-03) also sits at LRV 17 with a similar soft teal lean. It favors coastal schemes with sandy neutrals like Coastal Beige (MQ3-22), while Blueprint stays truer to a classic denim blue that partners just as easily with grays as with beiges.