Benjamin Moore Pale Oak is a light neutral greige that an be compared to Balboa Mist or Revere Pewter, but it is not white like White Dove or Swiss Coffee. The term greige comes from gray and beige, so as you might guess, Pale Oak is both gray and beige.
Pale Oak OC 20 is part of Benjamin Moore’s Off White Collection. It is one one the best selling paints and most popular neutral paints out there.
Pale Oak Color Strip
Pale Oak is grouped with the following colors: Winter White OC 21, Seapearl OC 19, Dove Wing OC 18, White Dove OC 17, Cedar Key OC 16 and Baby Fawn OC 15.
Keep reading! We’ll compare Pale Oak to several other popular neutrals and suggest coordinating colors for your whole home.
Is Pale Oak grey or beige?
Pale Oak is a light greige — gray and beige — with warm, yellow undertones. So yes the paint color is a beige and a grey. The lighting and other decor in your room will affect how gray or beige Pale Oak looks in your room. It can look more gray at night, depending on the type of lightbulbs you choose.
LRV of Benjamin Moore Pale Oak
The LRV or light reflective value of Pale Oak is 69.89.
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.
Is Pale Oak Warm or Cool?
Pale Oak is a warm neutral that can be used throughout your whole home.
Color that is lighter than Pale Oak
Benjamin Moore Classic Gray is a color that is lighter than Pale Oak and reads more of an off white than Pale Oak. Classic Gray has a LRV of 74.78, almost 5 percentage points higher.
Darker version of Pale Oak
Cedar Key OC 16 is a darker alternative that is in the same color strip as Pale Oak.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak color palette
BM Pale Oak is a versatile color that can be used throughout your home. This is only a small sample of possible coordinating colors for Pale Oak.
Coordinating Colors for Pale Oak
Benjamin Moore Hale Navy with Pale Oak
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. From the top is White Dove, Pale Oak and Hale Navy. Classic and sophisticated!
Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray and Pale Oak
Wickham Gray is a soft bluish gray that really warms up Pale Oak. If you want a soft neutral palette for your home, this one would create a calming, but cozy look. From the top is White Dove, Pale Oak and Wickham Gray.
Benjamin Moore White Dove and Pale Oak
Pale Oak 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 some contrast between Pale Oak and White Dove.
Pale Oak’s Complementary Color
The official complementary color for Pale Oak is a light muted purple. Benjamin Moore Iced Lavender 1410 would create a sweet nursery or bedroom combination:
What Trim Colors Go With Benjamin Moore Pale Oak?
To create the most contrast between the trim and Pale Oak walls, use a bright white such as Simply White and Chantilly Lace from Benjamin Moore. You could opt for White Dove to soften the look.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak Home Interior
Remember that directional light in a room can affect paint colors. Cool north light may make a beige or griege lean gray. 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 Pale Oak living room
The soft neutral of Pale Oak creates the backdrop for this monochromatic living room. It pairs beautifully with creams and whites, wood tones and the warm rusts in this example. Below, you can see how nicely the gray beige color plays with the blue grays and crisp whites, two colors included in our Pale Oak Color Palette at our Etsy shop.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak Dining Room
Pale Oak and similar colors such as Balboa Mist 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 Pale Oak halls and entryway
Again Pale Oak is warm and inviting, so it makes sense that this color should be used in your home’s entryway and hallways. It ties the whole home together.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak bedroom
In the bedroom, Pale Oak can create a calming retreat. The color goes with any style of decor from boho to modern and from coastal to transitional. If you want a room that is light and bright, then try Pale Oak.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak bathroom
Pale Oak Comparisons
Pale Oak can be compared to a lot of similar colors. We’ll go through the most common this vs that with Pale Oak so you can be sure that you are choosing the best paints to sample in your home.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak and White Dove
Pale Oak and White Dove are on the same color strip and share creamy warm undertones. White Dove and Pale Oak go together nicely for a low contrast design option. This is one example of how the two paint colors could look in your home. Some people have said that Pale Oak can have purplish undertones. So we can’t urge you enough to sample, sample, sample.
Pale Oak has an LRV of 69.89 and White Dove has an LRV of 85.38 so there is still some contrast between the two.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak and Simply White
Simply White is a brighter white paint color than White Dove. It has a LRV of 91.7 and would create a more contrasted look if used on cabinets and trim. We also like Chantilly Lace for trim colors that go with Pale Oak.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak and Collingwood
Collingwood is slightly darker and cooler than Pale Oak as it has cool undertones and is more gray than beige. Collingwood has a LRV os 62.14.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak and Revere Pewter
Revere Pewter is a darker griege with a LRV of 55.51. It is a medium gray beige that is balanced, but looks slightly cooler than Pale Oak.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak and Balboa Mist
Here, you may be able to see that Pale Oak has a more yellow hue to it versus the cooler Balboa Mist. With an LRV of 67.37, Balboa Mist is slightly more saturated than Pale Oak.
Be sure to check out these posts on similar colors:
