CP

Blue & Orange Color Palette — Copper Bay

A four-color scheme pairing a deep bay blue with a glowing copper orange, softened by oatmeal and slate — every color matched to real paint you can buy.

By Jessica Williams · Color Stylist & Interior Editor

Blue and orange are true opposites, which is exactly why they flatter each other so easily. This scheme takes the warmest, most lived-in version of that pairing: a deep, slightly grayed Bay Blue as the anchor and a glowing Copper Glow as the spark. Nothing here is loud or primary; both colors feel like they have spent a season near the water.

Oatmeal Linen does the quiet work in between, a soft warm cream that gives the two stronger colors room to breathe so the copper reads as a glow rather than a clash. It is the field you build everything else on.

A touch of Driftwood Slate rounds the whole thing out, bridging the cool blue and the warm copper with a gentle gray. Let the blue dominate, keep the copper to smaller accents, and lean on the neutrals to hold the calm — a grounded, contemporary take on classic contrast.

View palette in
Bay Blue
Dominant
Glidden Singing The Blues · PPG1159-7
#2B4D68
LRV 7
Copper Glow
Secondary
Glidden Sesame Crunch · PPG1198-7
#C26A35
LRV 22
Oatmeal Linen
Base
Valspar Double Scoop · V176
#EFE6D6
LRV 80
Driftwood Slate
Accent
Benjamin Moore Anchor Gray · 2126-30
#5C6167
LRV 14

Buy These Colors

Each color matched to the closest real paint in every brand, by ΔE2000. Tap a swatch for its full guide or + to save it — take any SKU to the store, they mix on demand.

Bay Blue
#2C4C66 · LRV 7 · Dominant
Sherwin-Williams · SW 6531 · ΔE 4
Behr · HDC-FL14-12 · ΔE 2.02
Benjamin Moore · 2061-20 · ΔE 1.53
Valspar · 4009-7 · ΔE 2.29
PPG / Glidden · PPG1159-7 · ΔE 1.17
Glidden · PPG1159-7 · ΔE 0.5
Dutch Boy · 238-7DB · ΔE 1.61
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 2391 · ΔE 7.86
Dunn-Edwards · DEFD60 · ΔE 2.44
Magnolia Home · JG-91 · ΔE 3.07
Farrow & Ball · NO. 9919 · ΔE 8.08
Diamond Vogel · 0620 · ΔE 6.55
Hirshfield's · 0592 · ΔE 5.22
Rodda · R089 · ΔE 7.58
C2 Paint · C2-743 · ΔE 4.49
Clare · PNT100-DP-54 · ΔE 15.08
Portola Paints · LOST HIGHWAY · ΔE 7.83
Annie Sloan · AUBUSSON BLUE · ΔE 8.23
Backdrop · BD-LC · ΔE 9.37
Rust-Oleum · 285144 · ΔE 11.99
Kompozit · 0592 · ΔE 5.22
Copper Glow
#C16A3A · LRV 22 · Secondary
Sherwin-Williams · SW 6635 · ΔE 1.96
Behr · 260D-6 · ΔE 1.22
Benjamin Moore · 070 · ΔE 3.27
Valspar · M145 · ΔE 2.46
PPG / Glidden · PPG1198-7 · ΔE 1.51
Glidden · PPG1198-7 · ΔE 1.17
Dutch Boy · 209-6DB · ΔE 1.45
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 1121 · ΔE 1.59
Dunn-Edwards · DE5174 · ΔE 3.03
Magnolia Home · JG-35 · ΔE 4.86
Farrow & Ball · NO. 268 · ΔE 6.84
Diamond Vogel · 1019 · ΔE 4.24
Hirshfield's · 1019 · ΔE 2.98
Rodda · CA224 · ΔE 9.42
C2 Paint · BD45 · ΔE 6.45
Clare · PNT100-DP-74 · ΔE 5.38
Portola Paints · MESA · ΔE 6.55
Annie Sloan · SCANDINAVIAN PINK · ΔE 10.88
Backdrop · BD-OS · ΔE 24.81
Rust-Oleum · 398640 · ΔE 8.02
Kompozit · 1019 · ΔE 2.98
Oatmeal Linen
#EFE6D6 · LRV 80 · Base
Sherwin-Williams · SW 7563 · ΔE 1.68
Behr · PWN-61 · ΔE 0.78
Benjamin Moore · 947 · ΔE 1.48
Valspar · V176 · ΔE 0
PPG / Glidden · PPG1081-1 · ΔE 0.98
Glidden · PPG1081-1 · ΔE 0.97
Dutch Boy · 010W · ΔE 0.99
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 4033 · ΔE 1.35
Dunn-Edwards · DE6127 · ΔE 1.97
Magnolia Home · JG-16 · ΔE 1.48
Farrow & Ball · NO. 2002 · ΔE 1.73
Diamond Vogel · OW4 · ΔE 0.42
Hirshfield's · 0327 · ΔE 1.21
Rodda · R127 · ΔE 1.31
C2 Paint · C2-564 · ΔE 1.14
Clare · PNT100-LT-62 · ΔE 0.99
Portola Paints · CASA FORMA · ΔE 0.94
Annie Sloan · OLD OCHRE · ΔE 9.03
Backdrop · BD-DS · ΔE 3.35
Rust-Oleum · 329598 · ΔE 4.63
Kompozit · 0327 · ΔE 1.21
Driftwood Slate
#5C6168 · LRV 12 · Accent
Sherwin-Williams · SW 6251 · ΔE 2.03
Behr · HDC-AC-25 · ΔE 2.68
Benjamin Moore · 2126-30 · ΔE 0.58
Valspar · M330 · ΔE 1.82
PPG / Glidden · PPG1011-6 · ΔE 2.44
Glidden · PPG1011-6 · ΔE 2.44
Dutch Boy · 435-6DB · ΔE 2.38
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 3332 · ΔE 3.12
Dunn-Edwards · DE6356 · ΔE 2.35
Magnolia Home · JG-143 · ΔE 4.41
Farrow & Ball · NO. 289 · ΔE 6.8
Diamond Vogel · 1320 · ΔE 4.05
Hirshfield's · H0064 · ΔE 6.05
Rodda · CA209 · ΔE 1.48
C2 Paint · BD20 · ΔE 2.35
Clare · PNT100-DP-42 · ΔE 2.71
Portola Paints · NEWBURY PORT · ΔE 5.79
Annie Sloan · RODMELL · ΔE 10.16
Backdrop · BD-MJ · ΔE 7.22
Rust-Oleum · 329207 · ΔE 9.73
Kompozit · 0584 · ΔE 6.5

Questions

How do I keep the copper from looking too rusty next to the blue?

Lean on the oatmeal between them. A wide field of warm cream lets the copper read as a glow rather than a stain, and it keeps the deep blue from feeling heavy. Use the copper in small, deliberate doses so it stays a highlight.

Is this scheme too bold for a calm, lived-in feel?

Not if you let the blue lead. Bay Blue is muted and a little grayed, so it settles rather than shouts, and Driftwood Slate softens the edges between every color. The result feels grounded and current, more weathered coastline than primary contrast.

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