12 of My Favorite Benjamin Moore Timeless Colors

Hi Everyone,

Oh man! I took photos for another post, but another topic is on my mind.

I alluded to a little surprise in my Hot Sales Love Note I send to subscribers.

 

Love Note, Laurel?

 

Yes, that’s what I call it. What would you call it? Marketing Bullshit Note? ;]

Anyway, the surprise is that, after over nine years, I am planning an update to the Laurel Home Paint and Palette Collection.

But, here’s the deal.

 

It will be in phases.

 

• Update #1 will be later this month.
• Update #2 will be in late September, as we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Laurel’s Rolodex! I know, I can hardly believe it myself.

Then, in November, please expect the usual Etsy Guide update, along with an update to 333 Rules & Tips You Need to Know.

 

Here’s the good news:

 

Current owners always receive free updates — unless you’d like to purchase any of your guides again. You don’t have to, but the option is there.

 

So, let me get this straight, Laurel. If I purchase any of your guides right now, I will automatically receive all of the future updates for free?

 

Yes, that’s right. You will. And you’ll also be privy to the current pricing. Everything will be going up in price and the 333 Rules & Tips you need to know is going up substantially; when, I’m not sure. It is way underpriced for the immense amount of information that will help make your life easier and also yield better results when you furnish and decorate your home.

 

A new section, titled “Renovation Rules & Tips You Need to Know,” will be added, and that will also include information on kitchens and bathrooms.

 

Oh man! I could’ve used that one, but I will put all of my years of experience, plus my personal renovation injury, sorry, I meant (and please forgive the kind of icky word) journey.

I also plan to make annual updates to the paint and palette collection. There will still be 144 colors, but like Farrow & Ball, some will be archived. The information will still be available.

While it’s an evergreen guide, the thing is that I wrote the two-part paint and palette guides in 2016. And since then, I’ve been researching and studying, as well as sampling dozens of paint colors.

 

Getting back to the topic at hand regarding my 12 Favorite Benjamin Moore Timeless Colors

 

Laurel, can you really whittle it down to only 12?

 

Are you kidding? Of course not, but if I put 150 paint colors, I’d never get the post out, and I’d have to charge you. haha

Still, these are some truly feel-good timeless colors. At least I think so.

But here’s the most important thing to remember about paint colors.

The wall colors are only one element in the room. If it’s a traditional or even a wannabe trad home, the bones must be there. It makes ALL the difference. We’ve seen it in spades in my bedroom.

Additionally, if you’d like to see more colors, there’s a nearly five-year-old post about my 20 All-Time Favorite Benjamin Moore Paint Colors. That you can see here. There are a few from that list, but this list includes some new favorites.

 

The beauty is that these 12 Benjamin Moore timeless colors all work well together, allowing you to create a coordinated home palette.

 

Okay, let’s begin.

There are three shades of white, and please forgive me if your favorite didn’t make the list.

However, I am offering you more than three shades, and here’s why.

Below is a tight shot of the crown moulding, picture rail, and panel moulding, taken close to the garden door. I promise we’ll be getting to that. However, in the meantime, this post is about my favorite timeless paint colors.

Most of you who have been reading for a year or so will remember the debacle with my bedroom’s paint color. Ugh. I’d prefer to forget all about the painting (and floors).

 

My point in sharing this image is that the walls and trim are the SAME color.

 

 

Benjamin Moore COTTON BALLS oc-122.

 

Oh, Laurel. That can’t be true.  If the walls are Cotton Balls, the trim looks more like Chantilly Lace.

 

Yes, you are right. Or, at least some other shade of white with far less pigment in it.

Yet, they are the same color, only different formulations. I don’t mind it because I love the tone-on-tone look.

However, there is no better demonstration of my point than what you are seeing here.

Don’t sweat it, because “It’s all a big crapshoot anywho.”

 

 

Oh, I know you will. After all, I am still sweating when it comes to selecting paint colors.

Anyway, my long-time love-child is:

 

COTTON BALLS oc-122

 

Now, some worry that it will look GREEN. That’s because the colors on that fan deck page are all green. If there’s any green, it’s exceedingly passive.

Still, if there’s a lot of green outside your windows, your walls painted Cotton Balls may indeed appear green. But so will all of the other shades of white. If you’re really worried, then use Simply White to counteract the green.

 

In any case, I’ve found Cotton Balls to be a chameleon of sorts.

 

While it looks rather creamy here, this was taken at 3:30 today, and the sun was already out of sight as it sets in the west-northwest at this time of year. Most, it reads as a soft, warm, white. And sometimes it looks pretty darned white. But it always looks beautiful.

The color out in the embrasure hall is different.

 

It is CLOUD WHITE oc-130.

 

It is also the trim in the living room with

MOONLIGHT WHITE oc-125 as the wall color.

 

 

Those two whites are wonderful together. Cloud White is a hair brighter, which adds a subtle touch of interest. What’s funny is that the contrast is greater with the All Cotton Balls in the Bedroom.

 

 

 

Here’s the thing with Cloud White.

 

In natural daylight, in my often fairly bright south-facing living room, it is as lovely as can be. And it’s also exceedingly lovely in the embrasure hall, although I’m not fond of the recessed downlights. That was a result of renovation fatigue. But, in the grand scheme, it’s not a big deal.

 

The bathroom is another story.

 

All the lights in the bathroom are LEDs and emit a very warm glow. I did LEDs because I didn’t want to have to mess with changing bulbs every year or so. The Cloud White in the bathroom looks very creamy, almost yellow. But so would the others. Again, it’s fine, and it tends to photograph more yellow than it is.

 

However, the other fixed elements give away the fact that the entire room is washed in a very warm light. Again, it’s not quite this yellow.  And yes, the hall and the bathroom are the same color, along with the trim and walls. Here, too, with everything painted Cloud White, the bathroom trim looks brighter than the walls. So, can you see why it’s best not to stress it?

Too much. ;]

 

This one is more accurate.

 

What are the three white paint colors, Laurel?

 

Okay, for a good all-around warm, beautiful white, I do love Cotton Balls, followed by Simply White. Cloud white is also a beautiful, warm, creamy off-white.

 

It’s not as creamy as Ivory White/Acadia White (the same color), one of the Laurel Home Collection white paint colors.

 

What about White Dove, Laurel?

 

Well, my white floors are White Dove, and it has always been on my list as a great wall color. I mean, since forever. However, they keep messing with the formula, and now I’m unsure. It’s probably fine, but when I looked at it recently, it was kind of muddy, and so was Swiss Coffee. I am sure they are still great white paint colors. The best is to try out a few and see what works best in your space.

 

The last color I recommend wholeheartedly is SUPER WHITE oc-152

 

Below is one of the mood boards from the Palette Collection.

 

 

 

 

I used Super White for all of the trim when my Bronxville apartment was painted in 2020. It is a lovely, clean white. It looked wonderful with Benjamin Moore’s America’s Heartland.

However, please check out WHITE HERON/OXFORD WHITE. It’s a hair deeper.

 

 

The three shades of white are in bold caps, and their subs are in lower-case below them.

 

COTTON BALLS

simply white

 

CLOUD WHITE

moonlight white

white dove

 

SUPER WHITE

white heron

chantilly lace

 

Seriously, you are covered, even with only the three in bold, but there are situations where the subs might be better for a variety of reasons.

 

I had a big job, and I can’t believe it, but it was in 2005. We used cotton balls for the trim in every room, and there was a wide range of colors. It looked terrific everywhere.

 

Oh, gosh, we have NINE more of my favorite Benjamin Moore colors.

 

I’ll complete three more, and then we’ll finish on Monday or Tuesday.

The next color is KNOXVILLE GRAY hc-160, the color I used in my lower-level entry.

The more I live with this dark, moody color, the more in love I become with it. It looks rather drab on the chip, but it is a dark green that everyone will love, even folks who don’t particularly like green. This one’s different. It’s like stepping into a pine forest; it’s cool and refreshing in the summer and warm and cozy in the winter.

 

For more images, please check out our recent post, where we covered the lower-level entry.

BTW, that’s Cloud White on the wainscoting upstairs. So, you see, juxtaposed against the deep color, it looks pretty darned white.

Everyone loves those hidden doors under the stairs! I get a bang out of watching their eyes light up when they see me opening them.

 

While I love the ceiling color, NEWT GREEN,  it’s not going on the list because it’s not going to be a color everyone will love.

The next color is a dupe for Martha Stewart’s Bedford Gray. It was featured in one of my favorite posts about the best exterior paint colors.

It is another Benjamin Moore Historical color

 

ROCKPORT GRAY hc-105

Rockport Gray hc-105 above

and Martha’s Bedford Gray Below

All of the restored antique homes that dot her 150-acre property in Katonah, NY, are painted this color.

And only this color, trim, doors– everything. And it’s all jaw-droppingly beautiful.

This is the quintessential Colonial putty color.

It’s not green, gray, or beige, but a combination of all of them.

It’s a true pewter gray.

 

This color can be used indoors, as well.

 

Cut to Fit Doors

Tiffany Leigh Design. She has a beautiful, fresh contemporary/new trad style.

Patrick Biller Photography – Oh, check out this stunning home on his Insta!

The last of the timeless Benjamin Moore colors I love is the new color for my bedroom ceiling.

 

 

 

It is a most ethereal, pale green with a bit of blue. I still have Opal Essence in the hall and bathroom ceilings, and it’s lovely, too.

 

 

But for the bedroom, Opal Essence felt a bit too much. I know it doesn’t look like a big difference, and it’s not. So, if you’re looking for a beautiful pale blue for your ceiling, I very much recommend both of these.

Okay, more coming soon! I hope you’re having a terrific 4th of July weekend!

xo,

 

***Please check out the recently updated BIG 4th of July HOT SALES!

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