Benjamin Moore’s Calm is one of my all time favorite wall paint colors.
I’ve talked about this color before, but I love it so much I’ve gone back and added a lot more info to this post, so I went ahead and published it again here today.
Have a look and find out why this paint color could work for your whole house!
Benjamin Moore Calm Paint
Thought I’d bring back this post about Benjamin Moore Calm paint from last year, as it’s still one of the most popular wall colors I get asked about.
Benjamin Moore’s Calm also happens to be one of my favorites – so naturally I love to feature it here.
In addition, I recently found several more photos with this beautiful wall color.
So I’ve gone back and edited this post to include them all here as well.
Benjamin Moore Calm is the color we have on our family room walls here in Connecticut.
You can see it “in situ” in the photo above.
First time with Calm
First off, for starters, we used Benjamin Moore’s Calm in our family room in our previous house in New York.
That’s when we fell in love with this versatile, chic shade.
Our former family room got a lot of natural light and was part of a open floor plan – making it a great transitional color.
If you’re not already familiar with this chic shade, it’s part of the off-white color collection of Benjamin Moore paints.
You can see this space in the photo below.
This wall paint color is also known as OC -22.
The “OC” stands for original color. I don’t know why I know that?
But, I digress….
We briefly considered Sherwin Williams Pure White, but quickly ruled it out as it didn’t have the subtle warm undertones we were looking for here.
Another color we looked at was Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.
It’s a gorgeous warm gray color, but this was little too dark for this particular space.
Anyway, we love this paint color so much we decided to use it again in our current home, here in Connecticut.
We knew it would look great because we were going to use all the same furniture in this room again.
Well, everything except for the rug, which didn’t fit the new space.
Second time using Calm
As you can see, we clearly love a neutral paint color around here.
Using a light, classic gray rug in our current home gave the whole room a much more cohesive, modern look.
The natural light in our new home is much different as well.
Our current family room is a north-facing room – this is a big factor to consider.
As a result, we can see just how much light matters!
All light sources will always change how the very same paint color looks on a wall.
Because time of day and lighting can drastically change the look of a paint color, it’s important to test samples out first on the wall.
So be sure to look at them in different light.
Having a paint colors fan deck like this one, while not necessary, makes it easier to find complimentary colors.
Ultimately you need to love the paint colors you choose for your walls.
Be Sure To Sample
Samplize self adhesive paint sample of Calm – LOVE THESE!
Which is why I can’t recommend trying it out as a sample in your home first.
You can see my Samplize paint swatch in action, in the paint color saved highlights on my Instagram page.
Doesn’t this sounds so clever?
No messy paint cans to deal with before you commit! Win/win!
If you’re at all curious, you can check them out and order them here!
Just like our previous home, we chose to have the trim, crown moldings and ceiling painted in Benjamin Moore White Dove with a semi gloss sheen.
You can read all about my favorite white colors for trim work here, and paint colors for ceilings here!
It’s worth mentioning how Calm goes so perfectly with our white trim which is Benjamin Moore White Dove.
Personally, I love the versatility of this color.
Just like it’s name suggests, it does have a “calm” effect on the room with it’s subtle nuances of whites.
Maybe this should’ve been the Benjamin Moore color of the year!
Conclusion
Benjamin Moore’s Calm is the perfect shade if you’re looking to paint a room white or a pale neutral color, almost like a shaded white – but you still want a hint of tone.
Don’t forget, you can always add some white paint to a color, any color really – in order to create a lighter version and get the exact look you want.
Play around with adding different percentages of white, any hardware or paint store will be very familiar with this practice.
Depending on the light and time of day, it appears to look like light, neutral gray and or simply white.
Additional Ideas On Paint Colors
For even more soft white paint color inspiration, be sure to check out this post here.
However, if you’re looking into how to find the perfect gray paint color, you’ll want to check out this post here -it contains a lot of popular choices.
All this to say – Benjamin Moore’s Calm is a very versatile, neutral color with a fresh look.
It’s easily one of my favorite shades in the whole BM off-white collection.
Not to confuse the issue, but if you’re looking for a paint with just a bit more gray, check out Sea Salt, it’s very pretty!
And, for a gray with a bit more of a warm undertone, there’s Balboa Mist, also by Benjamin Moore – another very popular color.
As for a gorgeous greige paint to consider, have a look at Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray.
You can compare all these paint colors together here.
Finally, I also love using Chantilly Lace, which is another great Benjamin Moore paint color – (check it out in our guest room.)
Hopefully you found this post helpful.
This color is SO perfect for any space – looks great in a living room and dining rooms too!
If you do end up using Calm on your own walls, let me know! I’d love to see it.
If you have any other questions, please shoot me an email or leave it in the comments below.
ADDITIONAL HOME DECOR INSPIRATION
If you’re looking for even more home inspiration, be sure to check out these other posts by clicking on each title below-
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Wall Color Review
The Best Cream Wall Paint Colors
Organized Pantry Ideas From The Pros
Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige Paint Color Review
Decor Ideas For Kitchen Islands
How To Pick The Best Kitchen Pendant Lights
The Best Formal Dining Room Mirror Ideas
A few more things…
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and finally,
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I love Calm! The interior of home is almost exclusively painted this color on the walls. Do you think it would be a good exterior color for brick?
I’m not sure, test a sample because it may all depend on the light your home gets, north facing, etc.
Hi! I am considering painting my home office Calm but it’s an east facing room with one window. I painted a fairly large sample on the wall and it seems fine but I keep reading all this info about painting east facing rooms “warm” whites with yellow undertones(,i.e. SW Creamy or Alabaster? and I’m just not a warm white kind of girl. I prefer “grayed-out” whites that look more ecru-ish. what are your thoughts on using Calm for an east facing room?
I think if you have a sample up and love it then go for it!
Hi
Love your style. Would you mind sharing with me the name of the blue and white fabric on the wing chair? Thank you!
Thank you.
Thanks so much. I’m pretty sure this is it, Sunflower Toile Linen Blue Wallcovering
Vendor
Root Cellar Designs
I read that Calm can have purple undertones. I have a sample from Samplize and don’t see purple but am worried about painting my kitchen and seeing purple walls after! (My kitchen is mostly east facing).
I can only speak of my own experiences using this color twice and now living with it – it has never looked even slightly purple to me!
I am looking for an accent wall color to go with Calm. My question is will light French gray work?
I will have a painting with blue and light green in it. In my last house it looked great on 50 per cent light French gray. But now I wonder how the accent color will go with Calm.
Hi,
Can I send you a picture of my daughter’s old bedroom to get your opinion if Calm would be a good paint choice?
Sure!
After reading the original post on Benjamin Moore “calm” we painted our walls in the family room and kitchen Benjamin Moore calm and the trim and cabinets chantilly lace. Our cabinets were white dove but we wanted something brighter against the calm color walls. We absolutely love it. Thank you!
That’s SO great to hear! Thanks!:)
I re-read and answered my question:
Just like our previous home, we chose to have the trim and ceiling painted in Benjamin Moore White Dove with a semi gloss sheen.
Do you agree with that sheen with the white wash pine hardware floors?
Thanks!
Yes! It sounds SO beautiful!
I am thinking of using Calm for my kitchen cabinets and all the trim in my new build house. There is lots of natural Iight from the East and South. I am worried it might look pink in certain lights. I would not want that. What do you think?
try a few swatches in different areas first.
I always thought that OC stood for offwhite colors in the BM line?
You are correct – the article is wrong!!