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Slate Blue & Tan Living Room Color Scheme

A moody, balanced living room scheme that pairs a calm slate blue with warm tan and a soft white, all matched to real paint you can buy.

By Emily Roberts · DIY Editor & First-Timer's Guide

Slate Blue on the walls gives a living room that quiet, grown-up calm without going dark or cold. It’s a dusty, gray-leaned blue that reads moody in the evening and soft in daylight, so the room feels settled and easy to sit in. As the dominant color across the largest walls, it sets a relaxed mood and lets your furniture and art stand out against it.

To keep things warm and balanced, bring in Soft Tan on the trim and built-ins. The earthy beige takes the chill off the blue and makes the whole space feel grounded and lived-in. Then let Warm White be your accent on the ceiling, a fireplace surround, or shelving to open the room back up and bounce light around. In short: slate blue on the big walls, soft tan on the trim, and warm white where you want a little breathing room.

View palette in
Slate Blue
walls
Dutch Boy Flint Stone · 433-5DB
#5C6E7C
LRV 15
Soft Tan
trim
Valspar Dakota Trail · 6008-3B
#D9C9AB
LRV 60
Warm White
accent
Sherwin-Williams Classic Light Buff · SW 50
#F0EADC
LRV 83

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.

Slate Blue
#5D6E7B · LRV 15 · walls
Sherwin-Williams · SW 6243 · ΔE 1.41
Behr · ECC-64-3 · ΔE 3.32
Benjamin Moore · 1637 · ΔE 3.09
Valspar · 4004-4B · ΔE 2.4
PPG / Glidden · PPG10-10 · ΔE 1.74
Glidden · PPG10-10 · ΔE 1.14
Dutch Boy · 433-5DB · ΔE 0.46
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 3352 · ΔE 1.41
Dunn-Edwards · DET590 · ΔE 4.36
Magnolia Home · JG-86 · ΔE 3.92
Farrow & Ball · NO. 308 · ΔE 5.59
Diamond Vogel · H051 · ΔE 2.68
Hirshfield's · 0507 · ΔE 1.58
Rodda · R099 · ΔE 1.58
C2 Paint · C2-729 · ΔE 3.44
Clare · PNT100-MD-57 · ΔE 8.65
Portola Paints · NEWBURY PORT · ΔE 5.96
Annie Sloan · RODMELL · ΔE 16.63
Backdrop · BD-MJ · ΔE 1.35
Rust-Oleum · 329207 · ΔE 6.72
Kompozit · 0507 · ΔE 1.58
Soft Tan
#D8C8AB · LRV 59 · trim
Sherwin-Williams · SW 9508 · ΔE 0.92
Behr · ECC-54-1 · ΔE 0.91
Benjamin Moore · 959 · ΔE 0.51
Valspar · 6008-3B · ΔE 0.41
PPG / Glidden · PPG14-17 · ΔE 1.68
Glidden · 30YY 58/178 · ΔE 0.87
Dutch Boy · 415-2DB · ΔE 1.59
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 2187 · ΔE 1.59
Dunn-Edwards · DE6199 · ΔE 0.96
Magnolia Home · JG-105 · ΔE 4.27
Farrow & Ball · NO. 8 · ΔE 1.49
Diamond Vogel · 0329 · ΔE 1.73
Hirshfield's · 0329 · ΔE 1.59
Rodda · CA134 · ΔE 1.16
C2 Paint · BD5 · ΔE 1.43
Clare · PNT100-LT-70 · ΔE 8.96
Portola Paints · EL MATADOR · ΔE 2.23
Annie Sloan · OLD OCHRE · ΔE 2.39
Backdrop · BD-RR · ΔE 5.11
Rust-Oleum · 398641 · ΔE 5.35
Kompozit · 0329 · ΔE 1.59
Warm White
#F1EBDD · LRV 83 · accent
Sherwin-Williams · SW 50 · ΔE 0.21
Behr · ECC-42-2 · ΔE 0.83
Benjamin Moore · AF-45 · ΔE 0.52
Valspar · 7002-5 · ΔE 0.52
PPG / Glidden · PPG1203-1 · ΔE 1.03
Glidden · 70YY 83/075 · ΔE 0.99
Dutch Boy · 019W · ΔE 1.08
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams · HGSW 4032 · ΔE 0.21
Dunn-Edwards · DET677 · ΔE 1.3
Magnolia Home · JG-33 · ΔE 1.47
Farrow & Ball · NO. W1 · ΔE 0.95
Diamond Vogel · 0005 · ΔE 0.99
Hirshfield's · 0003 · ΔE 1.31
Rodda · R009 · ΔE 1.89
C2 Paint · C2-563 · ΔE 0.8
Clare · PNT100-LT-62 · ΔE 2.54
Portola Paints · CASA FORMA · ΔE 1.54
Annie Sloan · OLD OCHRE · ΔE 10.65
Backdrop · BD-JA · ΔE 2.21
Rust-Oleum · 329598 · ΔE 3.88
Kompozit · 0003 · ΔE 1.31

Questions

Does slate blue make a living room feel too dark?

Not when you balance it. Slate blue is muted and soft rather than deep navy, so it stays calm instead of heavy. The tan trim and warm white accent keep plenty of light in the room.

What furniture colors go with slate blue and tan?

Warm woods, caramel leather, and cream upholstery all look great here. They pick up the tan and warm white, so the room feels cozy and pulled together rather than cold.

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