Gray Owl is a Benjamin Moore best-selling neutral gray paint color. Gray Owl is a light gray with slight warm green undertones, which can appear cool in bright natural light. This is a versatile neutral can unify an open floor plan without making it look boring.
Gray Owl OC 52 is part of Benjamin Moore’s Off White Collection. It is one one the best selling paints and most popular neutral paints out there, especially among interior designers.
Is Benjamin Moore Gray Owl a warm or cool color?
Gray Owl is a warm color, but it can appear cooler in certain light. Because of its green and blue undertones, this gray can appear sold in north facing light, which casts a blue hue and mutes colors. This paint color can look warmer on one wall than it does on a nearby wall in the same home. This chameleon type shifting can add dynamic color to your space, but it can also mean inconsistent color in the same room. These photos of Gray Owl walls show how the color can look more gray in natural light.
Gray Owl Color Strip
Gray Owl is grouped with the following colors: White Wisp, Sea Haze, Desert Twilight, Durango and Char Brown.
What undertones does BM Gray Owl have?
Gray Owl has green undertones that can sometimes look more blue in north-facing light. As you can see from the paint strip with Gray Owl, the colors lean toward green.
LRV of Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
The LRV or light reflective value of Gray Owl is 65.77.
The LRV of a color is measured on a scale of 0 to 100. The higher the number, the more light a paint color reflects True black has an LRV of 0 and pure white has an LRV of 100.
Color Code for Gray Owl
The hex code for Gray Owl is #d4d5cd. The RGB numbers for the paint color are R 212, G 213, and B 205, red green and blue, respectively.
Color that is lighter than Gray Owl
Benjamin Moore White Wisp 2137-70 is a color that is lighter than Gray Owl and reads more of an off white than Gray Owl. white Wisp has a LRV of 80.06, almost 15 percentage points higher.
Darker version of Gray Owl
Stonington Gray, is darker than Gray Owl. So if you’ve been wondering which gray paint color is lighter, Gray Owl wins. Stonington Gray HC 170 has an LRV of 59.75, about 5 percentage points lower than Gray Owl. Stonington Gray is also more silvery with neutral undertones.
Colors that go with Gray Owl OC 58
Coordinating Colors for Gray Owl
Benjamin Moore Hale Navy with Gray Owl
Hale Navy is our go-to choice for a navy blue paint color. It pairs beautifully with most anything and is a neutral blue that doesn’t look purple. We also love the soft Palladian Blue. Any blue in the room decor or furniture is going to highlight the blue undertones in this warm gray. Palladian Blue followed by Gray Owl and then Hale Navy.
Benjamin Moore Cushing Green and Gray Owl
Gray Owl’s warmth comes out when the paint color is accented by earth tones. Cushing Green makes a different, but beautiful pairing with Gray Owl. We also love the muted warmth that comes from a lesser known color — Driftscape Tan, seen here. Driftscape Tan is very similar to Sherwin Williams color of the year for 2023 Redend Point.
Benjamin Moore White Dove and Gray Owl
Gray Owl and White Dove, a creamy and very popular white, are in the same family if you will. As you can see from the examples, there is little contrast between Gray Owl and White Dove. You could also try Sherwin Williams Alabaster.
Gray Owl’s Complementary Color
The official complementary color for Gray Owl is a muted purple with blue undertones. Benjamin Moore Winter Gray would create a nice bedroom or bathroom combination:
What Trim Colors Go With Benjamin Moore Gray Owl?
To create the most contrast between the trim and Gray Owl walls, use a bright white such as Simply White and Chantilly Lace from Benjamin Moore. See the two white paints below.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl Home Interior
Remember that directional light in a room can affect paint colors. Cool north light may make a beige or griege lean gray. It may may a warm gray shift to cooler blue. White the warm light from the south or west can bring out the color’s intensity and warm undertones. We have a directional light guide and suggested colors in our color palettes.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl living room
The soft neutral of Gray Owl creates the perfect backdrop for this blue and pink living room. Gray Owl is warm and inviting, light and airy, all of the things this space is trying to achieve.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl Dining Room
Owl Gray and other neutrals such as Pale Oak and Calm are great colors for your whole home, especially if you have an open floor plan. The color is well-suited for the dining room.
Pale Oak is a light, clean shade that really showcases dark woods and the blue artwork shown here. You might think your dining room needs a bit more drama, but it’s best to avoid trendy in this area and go for timeless.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl bedroom
In the bedroom, Gray Owl can create a calming retreat. The color goes with any style of decor from modern to coastal and transitional. If you want a room that is light and bright, then try Gray Owl in the bedroom.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl bathroom
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl cabinets
Gray Owl looks great as a main cabinet color. It is light, but may give the room a little more pizazz than white. Check out these gorgeous examples of Gray Owl cabinets.
Gray Owl Comparisons
Gray Owl can be compared to a lot of similar colors. We’ll go through the most common this vs that with Gray Owl so you can be sure that you are choosing the best paints to sample in your home.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl and Repose Gray
Gray Owl and Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams are two extremely popular grays, but how do they compare. Is Repose Gray lighter than Gray Owl? They are quite similar in shade but Repose Gray has a LRV of 58 and Gray Owl is 65.77. That means Gray Owl will reflect more light and appear lighter. Repose Gray also has more brown undertones and appears to be slightly warmer.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl and Edgecomb Gray
Edgecomb Gray is another of the most popular Benjamin Moore neutral paint colors. As you can see, Edgecomb Gray is more beige. than gray when compared with Gray Owl. Edgecomb Gray HC 173 has a similar LRV of 63.88.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl and Revere Pewter
Revere Pewter is a darker gray beige with a LRV of 55.51. It is a medium gray beige that is balanced, but looks much warmer than Gray Owl. These neutral paint colors would pair well together as part of a whole home color palette.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl and Gray Cashmere
Here, you may be able to see that Gray Owl has a more yellow hue to it versus the cooler Gray Cashmere. With an LRV of 65.57, Gray Cashmere is similar in brightness to Gray Owl. The undertones of this paint color are more blue green than yellow green.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl and Gray Cloud
Next up in our paint color comparisons is Gray Cloud which has an LRV of 71.27. It has a clear blue undertone, which is even more apparent when compared with Gray Owl.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl and Wickham Gray
Wickham Gray is another popular gray from Benjamin Moore. It too has blue undertones, although not as pronounced as Gray Cloud. Wickham Gray has an LRV of 68.94, just slightly higher than Gray Owl.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl and Agreeable Gray
Finally we have Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray, which looks more taupe than gray when compared with Gray Owl.
Gray Owl Dupes
You may be wondering what the dupes for Gray Owl are in Behr and other popular paint brands. Here is a quick reference list of Gray Owl equivalents.
Behr Equivalent: Eon N370-2
Farrow & Ball Equivalent: Skylight 100205
Valspar Equivalent: Silver Thistle Down V120-1
Sherwin Williams Equivalent: Silverpointe SW 7653
Be sure to check out these posts on similar colors:
Complete the look
Accessories and accents that go with Gray Owl
