Benjamin Moore Classic Gray is a gorgeous greige paint color that I used in my basement family room/home office. I love the way it looks in my home and I can’t wait to give you all the details so you can decide if it’s perfect for yours!
For our basement, I was looking for a color that was warm but also very light and bright. You see we have a lower level walk-out and while there is a huge sliding glass door there is a deck above which blocks a lot of direct sunlight.
So light and bright was the name of the game, but I also wanted the space to be warm and coordinate well with the stone on the fireplace. This is where Benjamin Moore Classic Gray came into play.
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Is Benjamin Moore Classic Gray Warm or Cool?
Classic Gray is a gorgeous warm gray paint color. It is a little like a chameleon, sometimes it looks gray and sometimes it looks beige.
It changes depending on the season, the time of day, and of course which wall you are looking at! I know, it’s quite a tricky paint color.
What is the LRV of Classic Gray?
LRV stands for Light Reflective Value. It’s a scale from 0-100 that measures the amount of light a paint color reflects. Zero is the darkest black and 100 is the brightest white.
The LRV of Classic Gray is 73.67. It’s not the brightest color but for a gray that’s pretty darn bright.
Classic Gray Undertones
Undertones are the trickiest of creatures. They are what makes a color look the way it does.
Classic Gray has very unnoticeable undertones. They are a very slight green and an even slighter violet. I think it’s this combination that makes the color change depending on how and when you look at it.
How Light Affects Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
Light can make a color look darker, more washed out, warmer or cooler. Here are some basic on light:
- North-facing rooms have a light that tends to be a little cooler in nature and will come off slightly blue. Light colors will be a bit more muted or washed out while darker colors will be stunning.
- East-facing rooms will have brighter light in the morning and less in the evenings. The evening light will be a bit cooler. In the morning with sunrise, the bright sun will be warm. Warm color palettes are great for these spaces because they will help balance the cool feel of the evenings.
- South-facing rooms have consistent warm light throughout the day. The light really shows off the colors, dark will be very bright, and light colors will shine. Both warm and cool color palettes look good in a south-facing room.
- West-facing rooms have warm light in the evening and cooler light in the morning. Basically, it’s the opposite of east-facing.
What you are going to see here is that in northern, cool light Classic Gray will show off as a stunning warm gray. In southern rooms it will be much warmer and the green undertones will shine through. This is when the color starts looking more beige which is why we call it a greige.
In this photo, you can see the wall color looks more gray. This area of the room is a little darker than the other side.
On this side of the room the green undertones are showing more and the color looks more beige. It’s amazing how this paint color can look different even in the same room.
How to know if a paint color is right for you?
The best way to judge if a color is good for you then you will want to put a swatch on the wall and look at it over a few days. Look at it in different lights and decide if you really like it.
You can do this by getting a sample from the paint store and using a brush to put it up on the walls, but then you are left with a can that you can’t do anything with. Those samples are used with poor quality paint and aren’t meant for use on your walls permanently.
I recommend going with Samplize. They are a company that will send you a 12X12 peel and stick swatch of a paint color that you can stick to the wall. When you are done just peel it off and throw it away.
It’s easy and much less messy!
Benjamin Moore Classic Gray Whole Home Color Palette
Get this whole home color palette for Classic Gray. Choose paint colors without having to stress over it!
Where can I use Classic Gray?
I used Classic Gray in my basement family room but really this is one of those colors you can use absolutely anywhere. Here are some of my favorites:
- Walls of any room
- Kitchen cabinets
- Bathrooms vanity
- Trim color for darker colors
- Exterior
I love this paint color in my basement family room/home office. It’s light and bright and is the perfect backdrop for the artwork and accessories.
Here Classic Gray is used on kitchen cabinets and it looks amazing! Gold hardware just pops and I love how the island is black. The herringbone floors are simply stunning too.
Here is Classic Gray on the exterior of a home. I love how well it pairs with warm wood tones and black accents. It’s a great white paint color that won’t be too stark for the outside of a home.
What colors go well with Classic Gray?
This is a tough one because Classic Gray is so neutral so it “naturally” (see what I did there) goes with anything!
With it being a warm color it goes with warm paint colors really well. Especially darker warm grays and beiges. I also love it with green but beware, it will bring out those green undertones a bit more.
Believe it or not Classic Gray also goes really well with navy paint colors! Personally Benjamin Moore Hale Navy is my favorite but there are many good ones.
As you can see Classic Gray works well for different seasons. Here it is with some of my Christmas Decor.
What is the best white trim color to go with Classic Gray?
Personally I like Chantilly Lace and Oxford White best as trim colors to go with Classic Gray. Extra White is also a good one.
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Color Comparisons
I love to put colors side by side in order to really see the differences. You can see undertones better and therefore are better able to make a decision on which color is right for you.
Classic Gray vs. Sherwin Williams Incredible White
These colors are very similar but the violet undertones are more prevalent in Incredible White.
They both have about the same LRV, Incredible White is at 74.
Get a Sample of Incredible White from Samplize!
Classic Gray vs. Sherwin Williams Egret White
Egret White has an LRV of 70 which makes it a bit darker than Classic Gray, which sits at 73.67. Classic Gray is also slightly warmer than Egret White which has no green in the undertones.
Get a Sample of Egret White from Samplize!
Classic Gray vs. Pale Oak
Pale Oak has an LRV of 69 which makes it a bit darker than Classic Gray. That is the biggest difference.
There is a slight difference in undertones, Pale Oak having a bit more of the violet/pink but these colors are really quite similar.
Get a Sample of Pale Oak from Samplize!
Classic Gray vs. Balboa Mist
Balboa Mist has a slightly darker LRV being at 69 but that’s not where their differences lie. Blaboa Mist has much more violet in the undertones.
Get a Sample of Balboa Mist from Samplize!
Classic Gray vs. Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray
Both of these paint colors are very popular, especially Agreeable Gray. Agreeable Gray has strong green undertones and no violet in it like Classic Gray does.
Agreeable Gray is also much darker, it has an LRV of 60 where Classic Gray sits at 73.69.
Get a Sample of Agreeable Gray from Samplize!
Classic Gray vs. Gray Mist
Gray Mist and Classic Gray are very similar. They both have the same LRV but Gray Mist is more of a greige, it’s warmer, and has just green undertones, no violet.
Get a Sample of Gray Mist from Samplize!
Classic Gray vs. Silver Satin
Silver Satin is slightly lighter than Classic Gray therefore closer to a true white. It also has only violet undertones, no green like Classic Gray has.
Get a Sample of Silver Satin from Samplize!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Classic Gray a good exterior color?
The thing you need to keep in mind with exterior colors is that they constantly get a ton of natural light. So they look 10 to 15 times lighter than a color would on the inside of the house. If you want a warm white that is very light and bright this would be a good choice.
Is Classic Gray a good color for kitchen cabinets?
This really depends on your wall color but yes! It can be a great color for kitchen cabinets.
Will Classic Gray look dingy?
This one is open to interpretation. Compared to a cool toned gray it could look dingy but in my home, in a room with lots of other cool colors, it does not look dingy at all.
Is Classic Gray too beige?
No, that’s why I chose this color for my home. I didn’t want beige but more of a greige that was light and bright.
Is Classic Gray lighter than Agreeable Gray?
Yes, it is much lighter than Agreeable Gray.
Can you use Classic Gray as a whole house color?
This is a great color for the whole home. I would use it in a heartbeat for an open floor plan home.
Benjamin Moore Classic Gray Recap
Other Greige Paint Colors You Might Like:
- Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
- Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray
- Sherwin Williams Repose Gray
- Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter
As a licensed Real Estate Agent and an avid home decorator, I strive to give my clients the very best I can when it comes to staging, selling, and decorating their homes. I have lots of experience with paint color choices and love to DIY my home so I can have everything just the way I want it. I share my ideas and projects with the world in the hopes that I can help others have their homes just the way they want as well.