Delphinium
What Delphinium Actually Looks Like
Delphinium CC-872 is a deep, saturated cobalt blue, the kind that reads confidently blue from across the room without any ambiguity. It sits in the middle ground between navy and royal blue, with enough intensity to anchor a space visually. In bright natural light it opens up and shows its truest blue character. In dim or artificial light it can pull darker and feel almost midnight, though it never loses its blue identity entirely.
Delphinium Undertones
The hex and RGB values place this color firmly in blue territory with a measured violet lean. It is not a warm blue and carries no green in normal viewing conditions. In rooms with warm incandescent lighting you may catch a slight purple quality, but in daylight or cool LED light it reads as a clean, direct blue.
Where Delphinium Works Best
Because Delphinium has an LRV just under 10, it absorbs a significant amount of light. That makes it a strong choice for accent walls, built-ins, cabinetry, and front doors rather than a whole-room treatment in smaller or window-limited spaces. In a large room with good natural light, it can handle four walls without feeling oppressive, but go in expecting drama. It also works well on exterior shutters or a statement front door where its depth translates beautifully in outdoor light.
Where to put Delphinium
A deep, focused blue like Delphinium suits a home office well. It creates a contained, serious atmosphere without reading cold, especially if you bring in warm wood furniture and warm-toned task lighting.
Dining rooms are built for bold color, and Delphinium delivers. Candlelight and warm pendant fixtures will deepen it toward midnight blue, which works in your favor for evening meals and creates a cozy, enveloping atmosphere.
On an exterior door or shutters, Delphinium is striking without being flashy. It pairs naturally with white trim and brick, and holds up well in direct sunlight where its cobalt character is most legible.
Used behind a bed as an accent wall, it gives a bedroom a grounded, calm focal point. Keep the remaining walls light and the bedding neutral so the color does the work without overwhelming the space.
On lower cabinets or an island, Delphinium reads sophisticated and unexpected. Pair with white uppers and brass hardware and you have a combination that feels considered rather than trendy.
What to Pair With Delphinium
No coordinating colors are listed in our database for this color, so these pairings are drawn from established color principles. Delphinium works well alongside crisp whites and off-whites to give it breathing room, warm wood tones and natural linen to soften its intensity, and brass or aged gold hardware to bring out its slightly violet undertone in a flattering way.
You Might Also Like
Colors that clash with Delphinium
If Delphinium is used in one room and a cool or blue-gray carries into an adjacent room, the two can compete and make the transition feel unresolved rather than intentional.
Chrome fixtures can amplify the cool, slightly violet lean of Delphinium in a way that feels clinical rather than refined.
With an LRV under 10, Delphinium absorbs light aggressively. In a small bathroom or windowless powder room, four walls can feel cave-like in a way that is hard to correct with lighting alone.
Common questions
The precise LRV is 9.88, which is very low on the scale. That means the color reflects very little light back into a room. Plan for that: lean on good lighting, keep surrounding surfaces lighter, and sample it in your actual space before committing to all four walls.
Yes, noticeably so. In a north-facing room with cool, indirect light, it can pull darker and show more of its violet lean. In a south-facing room with warm, direct light, it reads as a cleaner, brighter cobalt. Sample in the room you intend to paint and check it at multiple times of day.
For walls, eggshell gives you a subtle depth that suits a deep color like this while staying practical and cleanable. On cabinetry or a front door, go semi-gloss or satin for durability and a finish that holds up to handling and weather.
Yes. Benjamin Moore lists it as available in both, which makes it a solid choice if you want to carry the same color from an interior accent to an exterior door or shutters.