Blue Rugs: From Duck Egg to Navy, and How to Live With Them

Ask a room of decorators which colour is easiest to use on the floor and many will say blue. It sits naturally beside wood, works with both warm and cool walls, and suits almost every style from Georgian townhouse to new-build flat. Yet blue is not one colour but dozens, and the shade you choose changes the mood of a room entirely. A pale duck egg feels airy and restful; a deep navy feels tailored and grounding. Here is how to find the blue that suits your space. Browse our full blue and teal rugs collection.

Pale blues: duck egg, powder and sky

Soft blues open up a room and bring a quiet, fresh feeling. They are lovely in bedrooms, bathrooms and sunny sitting rooms.

• Duck egg sits between blue and green and is one of the most forgiving pale shades. Laura Ashley's Redbrook in Duck Egg has a soft blue-green field framed by raised borders picked out in viscose for a gentle sheen.
• Blue-greens such as Wedgwood's Gio in Mineral are pale and restful, with a carved honeycomb pattern that shows as light moves across the surface.
• Dusty and powder blues work tone on tone beautifully. Marimekko's Iso Unikko in Dusty Blue draws oversized poppies in soft slate and powder blues, defined by the change in pile.

A word of caution: pale blues can look cold in north-facing rooms. Our guide to how light changes a rug's colour explains why, and how to compensate.

Mid blues: cobalt, kingfisher and teal

Stronger blues bring energy and are often the colour that pulls a scheme together.

• Cobalt is bold and graphic. Marimekko's Isot Kivet in Blue sets two columns of large cobalt stones on a warm sand ground.
• Kingfisher blends blue with green. Orla Kiely's Multi Stem in Kingfisher fills each leaf with teal, navy, blue-grey and olive on a cream ground.
• Teal is rich and confident. Wedgwood's Gio in Teal is a deep peacock green-blue, made calm by its tonal carved pattern.

Deep blues: navy and midnight

Navy is the most practical blue of all. It grounds a pale room, disguises everyday wear better than light shades, and looks expensive in almost any setting.

• Navy with fine detail feels classic. Wedgwood's Renaissance in Blue runs a fine ogee trellis, picked out in viscose, across a deep midnight navy.
• Navy with pattern is a good choice for busy rooms. Orla Kiely's Sprig Stem in Marine scatters olive and khaki sprigs over a deep marine ground.

What to pair with blue

• Warm woods. Oak, walnut and teak are a natural foil for blue and stop it feeling chilly. Our guide to rugs on wooden floors goes into detail.
• Rust, ochre and tan. These sit opposite blue on the colour wheel, so a cushion or throw in a warm earthy shade makes a blue rug sing.
• Crisp white and cream. The classic pairing, fresh and timeless, particularly with navy.
• Other blues. A tonal scheme, with walls, upholstery and rug in related blues, is calm and sophisticated. See our piece on colour drenching for how to make it work.

Where blue works best

Pale blues suit bedrooms and bathrooms, where calm matters most. Mid blues and teals bring life to living rooms and studies. Navy is excellent in hallways, dining rooms and family spaces, where it hides the evidence of daily life. If you are still deciding on a colour direction, our guide to choosing a rug colour is a good starting point.

A decorator's note

Blues shift more than most colours between daylight and lamplight, and between a screen and real life. If you are torn between two shades, send our team a photograph of your room in natural light, along with your wall colour, and we will happily help you choose the blue that will sit most comfortably in your home.