It’s no secret that this year I am going on the journey of paint. I am painting the entire interior of my home and I have been on the hunt for the perfect greige paint color!
Greige is basically the combination of gray and beige, you know like Brangelina! LOL. (I know, super bad joke!) I used to rock the beige and brown look in the ’90s and early 2000s. Then the trend swung towards gray and it took me a while to make the transition. That’s why I love the greige paint color because it’s the perfect combination of both colors and it isn’t outdated like my old beige walls were.
I have been working on painting my interior walls, they are too dark. Surprisingly they aren’t a dark paint color, I believe they are a color match to Revere Pewter, but because I live in the trees and don’t get a lot of natural light I want them to be lighter and brighter.
In order to achieve a brighter room, I need to paint with a high amount of light reflection.
*This post contains affiliate links. For more details see my full disclosure.
Let’s Talk about LRV
LRV is short for Light Reflective Value. The short version of this definition is the amount of light reflected with a light source.
According to Wikipedia, the definition is
“In architecture, light reflectance value (LRV), is a measure of visible and usable light that is reflected from a surface when illuminated by a light source.[1] The measurement is most commonly used by design professionals, such as architectural color consultants, architects, environmental graphic designers and interior designers.
LRVs are frequently reported on paint chips or paint samples. The values are used by lighting designers to determine the number and type of light fixtures needed to provide proper lighting for interior spaces.”
We use LRV in paint colors to show whether the paint reflects a lot or a little light. Why is this useful? If you live in an area where you do not get much natural light and you want to brighten your home you are going to want a paint color with a high LRV.
The higher the number the more light it will reflect and vice versa. This is important to some people and not to others, I mention it just in case you are trying to lighten or darken your home. Just because a paint color is light, doesn’t necessarily mean it will brighten your home. If brightening is your goal, make sure you check out the paint colors LRV. It’s usually on the paint chip. 😉
The Best Sherwin Williams Greige Paint Colors
Useful Gray SW 7050
Useful gray is a medium tone greige paint color with yellow and green undertones. As you can see from the bedroom photo below it looks great with both the beige and gray colors of the window treatments and bedding. It also pairs nicely with the wood tones in the nightstands and wood floors.
Source: Jillian Lare
Amazing Gray SW 7044
Amazing gray is considered a true gray because it can have a tendency to go both warm or cool. It is one shade darker than Worldly Gray. Both colors have a slight undertone of green.
Source: Pinterest
Worldly Gray SW 7043
Wordly gray is the lighter version of Amazing Gray and is considered a true gray with a slight tendency to be warm. Again, this color has a slight undertone of green.
Source: Cottage Home Company
Dorian Gray SW 7017 – LRV 39
This greige paint color is a little on the darker side but very moody and romantic. It has a pull towards purple but still on the warm side.
Source: Kylie M. Interiors
Agreeable Gray SW 7029
Agreeable gray is lighter than Dorian gray but also has a hint towards purple. If you don’t like your paint to pull green then this is a great choice!
Source: Inspired by Charm
Repose Gray SW 7015 – LRV 60
Repose Gray is a fabulous color with subtle undertones of brown and a touch of purple. If you are thinking of selling your home this is a great color to paint your walls for a neutral backdrop.
Source: Designing Vibes
The Best Benjamin Moore Greige Paint Colors
Classic Gray 1548 – LRV 74
This is the color I chose for my home. I painted my downstairs family room that color and it sometimes looks beige and sometimes it looks gray depending on the time of day and light. I can’t wait to paint the rest of the house!
To see the before of my downstairs family room/teen space click here.
Source: The Creativity Exchange
Pale Oak OC-20
This is a beautiful greige paint color that pulls a little yellow/green. It’s a stunning color that was definitely on my short list of paint colors to paint my house.
Source: A Thoughtful Place
Revere Pewter HC 172 – LRV 55.51
This is by far the most popular warm gray paint color. It’s also a recommended color for staging your home to sell. It’s almost a perfect neutral, which is what makes it so popular.
Source: A Turquoise Home
Gray Owl 2137-60 – LRV 65.77
Gray Owl is one of those paint colors that can go either warm or cool depending on the amount of natural light your room receives. The more natural light the cooler the color tends to pull with a little bit of a blue undertone. But in rooms where artificial light is prominently used this color is just stunning!
Source: Creating Contrast Designs
Edgecombe Gray HC-173 – LRV 63.88
Edgecombe Gray is sort of in between Pale Oak and Revere Pewter when looking at the lightness/darkness with very similar undertones.
Source: The Creativity Exchange
White Dove I-06 – LRV 85.38
As you can see from the LRV number this color is very bright! That’s why it also made the shortlist for colors in my home. What it came down to was this color is almost white and very close to my baseboard color so I chose Classic Gray.
Source: Rivers Spencer Interiors
Greige paint colors can vary greatly. The best thing to do is get a small trial can (usually around $5) and paint a large swatch on the wall. Look at that swatch over the course of a couple of days and see which one you like the best. Hopefully, it’s obvious to you!
I know I only chose paint colors from Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore. I couldn’t possibly go through all the paint lines, there are just too many. These are my favorite brands. I like the BM colors best but I love the paint from Sherwin Williams, plus it goes on sale from time to time, unlike Benjamin Moore. you can color match at different retailers but keep in mind it will never be exactly the same as if you got it from the owners of that color.
To see all the colors of the year for 2019 from each paint branch check out this post!
Great choices Wendy! So far Pale Oak and White Dove are my favorite! We have Revere Pewter and I love it but sometimes it seems a little dark, especially on a cloudy day! Can’t wait to see what you do.
We are doing a kitchen remodel. The kitchen and connecting family room is painted SW Light French Gray. We have a dining room next to the kitchen which flows into the front door entrance/foyer and then upstairs. The dining room and front door are north facing. I’d like to use Rainwashed, Sea Salt, or Window Pane on one wall in the dining room(the wall with the front door. I want to do the other three walls in another color. Any suggestions?
I am having a hard time imagining the room design Ann. Does the dining room flow into the kitchen or family room? Well, if you want to have the kitchen and family room in French Gray then you might want to give that color on the other three walls of the dining room. Or, if you want to do something different I would go with Comfort Gray, it pairs with that Sea Salt, Rainwashed color really well. Those would be my suggestions. Good luck with the kitchen remodel!
What color would you recommend in a upstairs hallway with only one window? I have several of these on the wall now and everyone seems dark in some areas. I’m not sure if it’s just a big change from the white walls or if I should actually go with a lighter version of something like these.
Hi Lauren. I have two answers for you, the expensive one would be to add some recessed lights down the hall sort of runway style. That’s not always an option though so the inexpensive answer would be to try having the store where you buy paint to mix the color at 50% or 75% just for those dark halls. That will lighten the color, brighten the space but the color will still work with the other parts of the house. Let me know how it goes!
We use those paints all the time, such great choices! Another one we love is Benjamin Moore Bruton White CW-710 !
That’s great Ally, I will have to check out Bruton White. Thanks for stopping by!
I really need help. I have SW sands of time on my living room/dining room walls with a BM Galveston gray accent wall. I’ll leaving the BM Galveston but NEEED TO LIGHTEN THIS ROOM.
It has a West exposure so only gets hot sun in late afternoon. Wish I could post picture of my room and fabrics here.
Hi Kerry, shoot me a picture at wendyduffy@atlaneandhigh.com and we can talk about it there.
I need help with a light neutral, warm greige color for my home! I just want to paint all rooms the same color, but that is proving to be difficult. We live in the Seattle area where it is cloudy most of the time, and also have a lot of trees surrounding our home. The front of our home faces north, and all of our rooms are either north or south facing. I have swatched a few colors in multiple rooms, so far I like Agreeable Gray the most (could be a tad lighter though), and although I love it in our south facing bathroom and north facing master bedroom, in our south facing living room where there is more natural light, it’s looking too much of a blue gray. And it looks almost white it my south facing kitchen for some reason. I would love a gray-related color that is lighter, warmer, and doesn’t look so gray in the living room! Any advice is greatly appreciated 🙂
Forgot to mention, our kitchen cabinets and floors are light oak, so also looking for a neural that will stick out some and not blend in so much 🙂
Kylie I feel like you and I have very similar issues. I have a very dark home due to trees and have been in the process of repainting mine a light color as well. I have two suggestions for you, Classic Gray from Benjamin Moore. It’s amazing because sometimes it look beige and sometimes gray. It’s very light but up against my white baseboards it definitely has color. Also, if you love Agreeable Gray but it’s still a little too dark try having them mix it with 75% or 50% strength. That will lighten it up but still keep the color you like. Lastly, if Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore is a bit expensive (I know Benjamin Moore never goes on sale) then you can have the colors you love color matched at another store. But I will say that I think Sherwin Williams paint has the best quality and believe it’s worth the cost, but I always buy it on sale! If you have any more questions or would like me to send you some pictures email me at wendyduffy@atlaneandhigh.com. Thanks!!!
Thank you so much! I will be sampling Classic Gray on my walls very soon 🙂
Hello, thank you for the colors. Could you tell me the name of the white. Thank you.
Hi Lisa,
It’s called White Dove. Thanks!
Thanks for the tips! What is the trim color you pair with Pale Oak in the entryway above?
I have maple (orange/red) floors and cabinets… What griege do you suggest?
I would probably stay away from a gray that pulls towards yellow or green and more towards beige/purple. I would suggest Classic Gray, Agreeable Gray or Repose Gray. They are three different shades, classic gray being the lightest and Repose Gray being the darkest. Thanks for stopping by Deborah!
I am thinking of using BM Classic Gray too. What trim color do you recommend? Also, will you be painting your ceilings the trim color too?
Hi Lynette. I am actually using a different product than what most people use to do my trim. Most use Dove White or another BM or SW white but I am using a product from Behr. It’s a combo oil based and latex based product in bright white that has the ease of clean up with water but has the durability of oil based paint. I used this on my stair risers for example a year and a half ago, I don’t have a single mark on the paint. It looks like the day I painted them (and I have a 21 year old and 18 year old tromping up and down the stairs all the time). I saw in a local facebook group a Mom asking what people used because in a year hers were all beat up. Here is a link to the paint. https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-1-gal-White-Urethane-Alkyd-Semi-Gloss-Enamel-Interior-Exterior-Paint-390001/300831629 I hope this is clickable for you, if not you might have to copy and paste it into your browser. And I only have a couple rooms that need the ceilings painted and I don’t plan on using the same paint as the trim. I haven’t gotten that far yet though! I hope this helps!
May I get advice on a interior paint color for a new build, lots of windows for natural light, north facing for the most part, 11 foot walls with some cathedral, elegant rustic style, trusses, beams, rock fore places mostly light in color and the flooring will be natural travertine in Italian cream rustic , crazy horse granite and a big trophy room ( hunting animal mounts, current wall color is SW Burlap for trophy / great room which is a great color and mounts pop ) ..Im having a hard time even getting started but thinking along the gray tones possibly ..
Thank you
Wow! Sounds absolutely dreamy! If you like to keep things bright I like Classic Gray by Benjamin Moore. It will look amazing with the travertine and is in the gray family. If you like something a little darker, and sounds like you have the natural light to do that, I would check out Agreeable Gray or Dorian Gray both by Sherwin Williams. You can get samples of all of them and put swatches on the wall. See which color you like the best in all sorts of lighting, both day and night. I hope that helps!
I love alabaster (thinking for trim/doors/cabinets) but I think I want a slight contrast on my walls. We have lots of natural light in the house. I’m decorating with Wood and metal accents. Lighter colored laminate floors, white quartz counter top that looks marbled with a steak of a light brown color. I need help! I want more beige than gray I think. Also, I need a black to paint my front door. SW is the brand our builder uses. Thanks for any advice!
Hi Ariella! It sounds like you have lots of light in your home. I know you mentioned you want more beige than gray, but I think Amazing Gray would be perfect. I really feel like it pulls beige a lot. It’s a true greige color so can be very versitile. I also think Perfect Greige would look great too. They will provide the contrast you are looking for. Now for a front door my hands down go to color is Urban Bronze. It’s not a true black but its the most gorgeous color! I had just painted my front door that color before I did this summer wreath in this post. https://www.atlaneandhigh.com/hydrangea-wreath/ You can see the color really well here. Good luck with the new home! Send pictures when it’s done!
Hi! I have SW Snowbound for trim and doors. Wanting a nice white or very light gray or greige on the walls. My accents are black windows and light fixtures with white countertops and warm natural wood looking floors. Cabinets are white and a dark kona finish. Thanks for an advice!
Hi Amy! I highly recommend Classic Gray by Benjamin Moore. It’s a greige but very light, almost white. I just painted my teens space with it and sometimes it looks gray and sometimes beige. I love it! I think it will look amazing with your black windows and warm floors. I hope that helps!
Hello and Good Evening!
I just read your blog post and I love the greige colors you highlighted and discussed. I myself am still on the hunt for the perfect griege for my north facing kitchen and your post gave me a few more to consider.
I would like to point out though when you were discussing LRV, you stated the lower the LRV# the lighter it is. This is incorrect ~ the higher the # the more light it will reflect and its based on a scale of 0 to 100 with #50 being average.
Oh and also ~ Thank you for the tip on the Behr Semi-Gloss Enamel for the high traffic area of stair risers! That’s a keeper!
Laura @ L’abri Artistic Interiors Inc.
Hi Laura, thank you so much for catching my mistake! I didn’t even type low I typed “love”. Ugh! (insert the forehead slapping emoji right here, LOL) I have corrected it in the post. And I am so glad you liked my tip on the Behr for trip and risers. That stuff is my ultimate go to for so many things!
I love your selection of Greige colors. I’m thinking of going with Benjamin Moore’s Olympic Mountains. It looks lovely on a sample board. Do you consider that a Greige? I seem to like it better than some of the other colors described as Greige, such as Pale Oak and Balboa Mist, which are lovely but show a bit too pink in my large family room/kitchen. Revere Pewter and Edgecomb Gray are too dark for this space and for my taste. Classic Gray although lovely, is just a bit too gray.
Hi Maggie! I would definitely say Olympic Mountains is a greige. It leans a little more beige than gray but it sounds like that’s what you are looking for, if Classic Gray is too gray. What a lovely color Olympic Mountains is too!
Since Sherwin Williams paint goes on sale often, if they color match BM Classic Gray, would it come out looking like the BM color or will it be just a tad different. Also, what sheen do you use? I want to paint 3 seldom used guest bedrooms. Thank you.
Hi Sylvia! Color matching always gives you a tad different color but as long as you don’t have the original next to the color match I don’t think you will notice the difference at all. I tend to use a satin sheen but that’s because I have kids and a dog, they are always rubbing up and touching the walls. If you are using it for seldom used guest bedrooms then you might want to go with flat. Let me know if you hear of any good Sherwin Williams sales! I have a good 5 gallons to buy!
Hi there,
We recently moved into a new house and want to update the paint! There are a decent number of windows in the house, but its a wooded lot so there isn’t a lot of bright natural light. There is a lot of wood in the house – hickory floors, wood cabinets, and tan carpet. We eventually want to replace the carpet, but for now would like to update the paint to make it more modern. Its currently a goldish tan. Can you recommend a greige? You can see pictures of the house here: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/6550-W-Forest-Edge-Dr_Ludington_MI_49431_M37359-00690#photo0
You have a beautiful home! What a wonderful lot too! I have the same issue, tons of windows but just as many trees, if not more. You floors are amazing! I think I would go with either Classic Gray (this is what I am going with in my home), Pale Oak or Agreeable Gray. Pale Oak pulls a little more yellow than the others. Pale Oak and Classic Gray are Benjamin Moore and Agreeable Gray is from Sherwin Williams. I would get a sample of them and paint near your kitchen cabinets and see how they look next to them in all different lights (morning through evening). Good luck!
Have you ever used SW Modern Gray? We are building an accessible home on a lake and have creamy white oversized brick with white mortar exterior and large dark bronze casement windows that extend the length of an open living, dining, & kitchen area. Inside, we have simple, but large popular trim and custom cabinetry painted in SW Alabaster. We decided on Modern gray, as the color feels more beige than gray, which we are trying to keep with a light vibe throughout the house. I only hope it is light enough & doesn’t pull pink. We tried several other grays (Agreeable was one of them), but with so much light in the room, they looked more gray than greige. I have considered telling the painter to go 75% strength on the color I choose, but don’t know how this will affect the overall look and feel?
I am second guessing my decision. This color is going to used in most of the home, aside from two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and the elevator (we had it painted Alabaster), so I want to make sure we’ll love it.
Hi Shannon. I haven’t used Modern Gray but looking at photos online I definitely think it will give you the more beige look than gray. Don’t second guess yourself. It will look amazing I am sure! There is no way to know if it will pull pink until you have it on the walls and can see it in different lights. If you can throw a swatch up before the painters come to see if you like it I would try that. It sounds like it’s going to be an amazing home!
The painter will finally arrive late October and I’ve chosen Olympic Mountains. I bought some 12″ x 12″ painted adhesive samples on Samplize and posted them around the rooms. I think it’s going to be the greige I want. It isn’t a muddy “builder’s beige” and it isn’t grey. It’s just lovely and somewhere in between. I suppose it’s the safer choice for me. Thanks for the feedback.
I love those adhesive samples from Samplize. That way I have no leftover little cans of paint to recycle and I don’t have to stick them to the walls with blue painter’s tape !
Hi. I am having a small 1280 sq foot bungalow built to begin shortly. It is an open concept living room and kitchen with white kitchen cabinets and white appliances. Since I will use only two paint colors, I want the trim the doors and baseboards in white; but I am confused as to using either an off white or light Greige for all of the walls. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks
Hi Rosy, thanks so much for stopping by! I love white kitchens and white appliances will look amazing too. To answer your question, I personally would go with a light greige. But, if you have a lot of colored accessories then you might want to go with the off white. It also depends on where you live and if you have a lot of natural light. If it’s a new build I am guessing there will be lots of sunlight coming in with nothing to block it, like trees which is my issue. I would go with the light greige. Make sure you send a picture when it’s done! Sounds like a fun journey you are embarking on!
Hi,
I am going to paint my living room and maybe kitchen. I have a golden oak home, floors, molding chair rail, cabinets everywhere. My living room has leather chairs and I have just ordered a new sofa with beige tones. My house does not get a lot of light because I live in the woods. With all of this golden oak, what would be a good choice for wall color? I prefer Sherwin Williams paint.
Thank you
Hi Gale, it sounds like you and I have a lot of similar issues. I live in the woods as well and it’s so hard to get natural light in the house without having skylights in every room! I also love Sherwin Williams paint. Nothing against Benjamin Moore, but Sherwin Williams seems to have better coverage and it goes on sale all the time which makes it so much better on the pocketbook! I would definitely go with a color that is very light, I chose Classic Gray by Benjamin Moore and am having it color matched at the Sherwin Williams store. It looks beige in some light and gray in others. I also recommend Wool Skein SW 6148. Now with beige they can pull yellow or green in some lights so I highly recommend doing paint swatches and checking the color in different lights next to your oak colors to make sure you like it before committing to a full room redo. Good luck!
Great advice! I’m going w agreeable gray. What color white would you paint the ceilings!
Hi Julie, that’s great! Agreeable gray will look awesome. For the ceilings, I don’t put a whole lot of thought into the color. I go with white paint specifically for ceilings but I always go for a matte rather than one with a shine to it. I like the ceilings to disappear and not be noticeable. I hope that helps!
My husband and I are in the middle of remodeling our bathroom and walk in closet. We are using Brittanicca warm luxury series counter top that has a soft gray. We don’t get any natural light. We are adding overhead lighting and putting a large mirror with sconces to each side of it. The vanity will be white. I cannot say for certain what would look good because our lighting is up
I tend to think that the Classic Gray would be great. Our contractor wants us to pick the color without the lighting connected but I think it’s best when we have the correct lighting to see what color would work best. Do you agree?
Hi Jennie. I completely agree because without natural light the light bulbs can alter the color of the walls. I think Classic Gray will look good with a warm counter. Classic Gray will probably pull a little beige if the light bulbs are warmer in color, then more gray if it’s a daylight color. Here is the important thing though, I know you want to get it right but if in the end the color is a little off and you want to change it, it shouldn’t be a big deal. A bathroom and closet won’t take too much time so don’t stress about the color. I think Classic Gray will be great, it will bounce a lot of that light around and should help brighten the space. Live with it a while and if you don’t like it, change it.
Hi Wendy! From reading above posts, i think you usually suggest going with a more gray color for a Gregor/neutral if you have orange/yellow oak floors? I have an open concept plan and get East morning sun but not a lot of light after 1 pm. Would Pale Oak, Edgecomb gray or Revere Pewter be good choices? Also, I have a large Persian rug with a berry color background and lots of other colors that I would like to keep in room but not sure that will look right?
Thank you for any advice at all!
Jeannie
Hi Jeannie, thanks for reading the posts! If you have orange/yellow floors and berry background rug I would definitely suggest the warmer side of gray walls. Pale Oak, Edgecome Gray and Revere Pewter are all amazing choices. Grab a sample and put swatches on the walls and see which one you like best in all lights of the day. It’s worth it to do this to save time later if you don’t like what you chose and have to repaint.
Out of all these, I love Pale Oak, but our builder limits us to SW. Is there a comparable color in SW? We need to pick an all over color- Pale Oak would work, but then I love the idea of picking complimentary colors for 3-4 other rooms…guest bath (shiplap with white cabinets), laundry room, office, and want to use a deep taupe/gray in our media room. Does anyone use that many colors anymore? It seems most use one neutral color and play up color with fabric/window treatment, but I want color on my walls 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Tara, I lvoe Pale Oak too. In fact I like Sherwin Williams paint quality but I think Benjamin Moore has the best color choices. That being said, I am pretty sure that Sherwin Williams can color match the Pale Oak color. It’s so popular, I would ask your builder to see if they can ask the store if they do that or if you can give them a paint chip of the Pale Oak color if the store can color match that. If none of that works I would go with Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray. That’s probably the closest to Pale Oak in the Sherwin Williams line. Good luck!
Hi,
What white trim color would look best with Pale Oak? Thanks 🙂
Hi Donna, if I were you I would stick with a Benjamin Moore product since that’s what Pale Oak is. I have a few suggestions, and they depend really on the amount of natural light your home gets. White Dove is very popular and pretty universal with home builders. Simply White is a very bright white which would look great with Pale Oak and would also work well in homes that don’t get a ton of natural light. Lastly, Cloud White is another option. It’s got a slight warm tone to it so would pair really nicely with Pale Oak. I would get a sample and try all three, or two and see which one you like best. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, have a new kitchen/family room with BM S white. I want a lighter color for the walls to make the trim pop a little, What would you recommend?
I have BM simply white trim and cabinets. What do you suggest for a wall color in the open concept family room/kitchen? Family room has great natural light.
Hi Jennifer. That is a wide open question! Are you wanting a neutral color or something else? Can you give me a little more direction as to what you are wanting?
Hi
I want to go for the airy feeling. I have a east facing kitchen with a big patio door that faces our living room to the east. I have Anew Gray right now but in the winter it is too gloomy. I need something lighter, thinking City Loft by SW. I have a toupe carpet in the living room and white beige creamy tiles in the kitchen. Will city loft show blue undertones with the lighting, I do not want that, rather have greige undertones.
Thanks
Jadwiga
Hi Jadwiga! I can see where Anew Gray could be a little gloomy in the winter. It’s the second color on the paint strip…have you considered going one down to Agreeable Gray? That will be more on the greige side but be a little lighter than Anew Gray. As far as City Loft I don’t think it will pull blue but you never know. It depends on what type of lights you have and other decor. I would get a small sample of both City Loft and Agreeable Gray and give them a try on the walls and see how they look in all lights of the day. You will have your answer after that. Good luck!
I’m wondering about BM Windsbreath for an open floor plan. I live at the beach, and I am looking for a paint that will make my small open floor plan feel fresh and bright. I have painted furniture in Cloud white, white kitchen cabinets, med tone wood floors, and whitish gray tile in kitchen and baths. Parts of the house do not get a lot of light and other parts get lots of light.
I thought I would go with BM Edgecomb Gray but it got quite dark when the sun went down.
What are your thoughts on Windsbreath? It seems like a beautiful and light color.
Hi Maryanne, I checked out the LRV for both colors and you will definitely have a brighter color with Windsbreath. It has a higher LRV so it will bounce around more light. I would definitely go with that instead of Edgecomb Gray. Make sure you swatch it though to see if you really love it. Thanks for stopping by!