Happy Tuesday! I’m back and today we’re talking about a muted, gray-leaning blue that sits in the light-to-mid range of the blue spectrum: Glaucous Blue.
Its lower saturation gives it a soft, slightly dusted and hazy appearance.
Psychology
Psychologically, glaucous blue communicates quiet focus, emotional regulation and reflection. Its reduced saturation lowers visual urgency, while its cool tone encourages steadiness rather than stimulation.
History
The term glaucous comes from the Greek glaukós, meaning bluish-gray, pale green-blue, or misted.
Historically, it was used as a descriptive word, not a pigment name, describing how color appears in nature when it’s softened by surface texture or atmosphere.
You’ll see glaucous used to describe bird feathers, botanical surfaces, as well as stone and sea landscapes. All display color that is softened by surface texture, causing light to scatter rather than reflect cleanly.
Take a look at the silver-blue eucalyptus leaves below, for example, which are coated in a waxy layer that gives the surface its soft, dusty, gray-blue cast.
Because glaucous blue is defined by diffusion rather than intensity, it translates naturally into design as a color that supports surfaces, materials, and structure without overpowering them. Let’s get into it!
Fashion
Ermanno Scervino Spring 2026 RTW
In Ermanno Scervino’s Spring 2026 RTW collection, glaucous blue appears as a softened denim-leaning blue that feels worn-in and airy, giving the looks a sense of ease and material lightness while maintaining structure and polish.
Interiors
In interiors, glaucous blue behaves like a quiet anchor, working beautifully in bedrooms meant for decompression, studios or workspaces, and spaces with natural light filtered through trees or overcast skies.
In the space below, for example, glaucous blue is used as a steady, architectural backdrop, allowing the warm wood, greenery, and textiles to stand out against it.
And in these bedrooms, the shade reads as an atmospheric blue that brings visual depth without heaviness. Feels intimate, composed, and grounding rather than cool or stark, especially when paired with warm reds or browns.
Branding
Glaucous blue is not commonly used as a primary brand color. In fact, most brands tend to avoid it because it’s low-contrast, emotionally subtle, and not the most attention-grabbing.
But when it does appear, it’s not used by loud brands, and that’s intentional. The gray-blue signals thoughtfulness, credibility, and longevity.
Pantone® & More
If you’re looking to work with a similar shade, I recommend Pantone’s “Endless Sky” 16-4022 TCX. As always, I’ve included the other color specs (HEX, RGB, CMYK) below too.
HEX: #728FB0
RGB: 114, 143, 176
CMYK: 35, 19, 0, 31
Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed learning about today’s blue, please give this post a like so I know what you guys want to see more of :)
Or tell me, which color should I feature next? See you next Tuesday!
(This week’s shade was requested by a subscriber — thank you for the lovely suggestion & keep them coming!!)
Yay! Thank you so much for writing about glaucous blue! It’s such an ethereal color, isn’t it? It’s one of my favorites!
I have so many colors I’d like to suggest sometime, if you’d appreciate that! It’s so exciting to see pieces on such beautiful colors. Right now, I just saw a color called indicolight! I’m also interested in rich, almost stained-glass reds just now, possibly like garnet or pomegranate red?
Really excellent piece on this shade. The connection between surface texture and color preception caught me, how waxy eucalyptus or bird feathers creat that diffused quality naturally. I've been testing some interior palettes lately and notice how the same blue reads totally diferent on matte vs glossy finishes. It's almost like the texture does half the work in creating that muted, atmospheric effect.