Bring out its warmth.

While we normally think of blue as a cool tone, Pratt says, “There’s a lot of warmth and depth to indigo.” Pairing it with neutrals found in nature is one way to bring out this warmth. “Whether that comes from a cognac leather or white oak, those warm tones tend to balance indigo out really beautifully,” says Lachapelle.

Create color schemes with complementary hues.

When designing a more colorful room with indigo, look to the warm tones on the opposite side of the color wheel. However, instead of true oranges, think rust or ochre, suggests Lachapelle, who likes to use these colors in velvet. “There’s something about vintage indigo with rust velvet that is so beautiful. They have the same level of saturation and intensity, so they work really beautifully together.” Pratt agrees with the suggestion to pair indigo with orange-ish hues, saying it harmonizes well with oxblood or burnt orange.

Or play with analogous colors.

Lachapelle also likes to pair indigo with greens or eggplant purple, two colors that fall on either side of blue on the color wheel. “There’s something about indigo and those colors that feels really good,” she says. You might even include all three together for a cool-toned, three-color scheme.

Go all in with blue.

A room dressed completely in shades of blue is restful yet fresh. In a blue-on-blue room, use indigo as a pop of more vibrant, saturated color, says Pratt. For example, in a cafe Pratt designed, she used a pale blue on the walls and brought in a dark, indigo blue for the millwork.

On walls, think wallpaper.

A room painted entirely in indigo blue will be tricky to pull off, caution the designers we spoke to. Instead, look to wallpapers if you want to be enveloped in the hue. Lachapelle loves to use indigo-patterned wallpapers, especially in small rooms like a bathroom or entryway. If you’re craving a solid indigo wall, she suggests trying a grasscloth: “The texture will temper that intensity,” she says. When selecting a wallpaper, Pratt recommends taping it up on the wall where you will use it to see how the light hits it and how it will read in your home.

Pair it with cool whites.

“Indigo is so stunning that it needs very little competition,” explains Sue Wadden, director of color marketing for Sherwin-Williams. Wadden therefore recommends using indigo with whites. “Paired with crisp white, indigo can help create a traditional New England look or, in a flat finish with white-washed woods, a Scandinavian effect,” she says.

Try it in low-light spaces.

Indigo shines in cozy corners. Pratt says indigo is a natural for quiet, dim spaces like libraries and TV rooms. However, she cautions not to choose indigo as the dominant color in a room that gets a ton of light. “The warming effect of the sun changes the temperature of the room, so that all that will be felt is the intensity of the blue.”

Use it with restraint.

“I find that indigo blue is more effective in small doses,” says Lachapelle, who suggests its specialness is lost when used too liberally. A small dose could be a few throw pillows on a sofa, a piece of artwork that features the hue, or even a small space like a powder room.