Blue Monday

There is no reading this as a background color. In the Vista Paint lineup this is 7294.

At chroma 21.0 it will not sit quietly next to another strong color. Used across a whole room it needs restraint in the decor - furniture and textiles that stay quiet so the wall can carry the color.

South light flatters it. In a north-facing room it can turn cold, so sample that wall first. 16.0 on the light-reflectance scale is unremarkable on its own; the chroma is what actually drives how this color behaves.

If the room already has oranges and warm terracotta in the floor, a rug, or the furniture, this color will fight it rather than sit well beside it - the two sit at opposite ends of the color spectrum, which is exactly why they clash instead of blend.

Anything pale placed against this wall will look paler than it is; anything warm-metal will look warmer. Neither is an illusion the color plays deliberately - it is simple contrast, but worth planning rather than discovering. A natural scheme here moves in three clear steps: this color on the main wall, a noticeably lighter mid-tone for a second wall or built-in, and a near-white on the ceiling. Each jump should be obvious at a glance, not something you have to squint to tell apart (roughly 16.0, 51 and 85 on the light-reflectance scale, for reference).

If a second wall color is wanted in the same room, Behr Silver Bullet keeps the jump obvious rather than muddy (roughly 40 LRV points from this one). A flatter finish keeps this much color from creating harsh reflections.

Switching brands, PPG Stormy Ridge (1159-5) is the closest equivalent at delta-E 1.69, near enough for most rooms. This is a relatively uncrowded spot in the spectrum - just 1 color from other brands come this close.

It is lighter than 14 percent of the Vista Paint range. Vista Paint lists it in the K codes, alongside 1,318 other colors.