Balboa Mist Paint

Balboa Mist is a greige paint color by Benjamin Moore. It is a very popular paint color, and it is included in Benjamin Moore “Favorites” fan deck.

Balboa Mist is one of Benjamin Moore’s classic paint colors. It is been around for a long time and has risen in popularity over the past 10 years.

Balboa Mist paint is particularly common in farmhouse or traditional style homes.

Keep reading to find out all the details on this gorgeous paint color.

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Balboa Mist Paint Color Details

People frequently ask whether Balboa Mist paint is a gray or a beige paint color. Well, the answer is, it is a griege paint color.

This means that it is a blend of gray and beige.

Greige paint colors are the most popular paint colors on the market right now. They are functional, versatile, and serve as a great backdrop to most anything you want to put with them.

Greige paint colors are a spectrum, ranging from gray to beige. Some greiges have more beige and some have more gray in them.

Balboa Mist tends to fall closer to the gray end of the spectrum.

While it definitely has a good bit of beige in it, Balboa Mist paint more commonly looks gray on your walls.

Balboa Mist LRV

Balboa Mist paint color has an LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of 66.

The LRV scale runs from zero, which is completely black, to 100, which is completely white. An LRV of 66 sits in the light range of colors.

While Benjamin Moore lists Balboa Mist in their off-white paint color collection, Balboa Mist is not actually an off-white. It has too much color to be considered an off-white, in my opinion.

Balboa Mist Undertones

All paint colors have undertones. They are the little hints of color that combine to make a paint color what it is.

Greige paint colors tend to have green or purple undertones in them.

Balboa Mist is one of the more popular gray paint colors that has a purple undertone. While Balboa Mist isn’t too pronounced in its purple undertone, if you see a hint of color show up in different lights, it is going to be purple.

Is Balboa Mist Warm Or Cool?

Greige paint colors are typically warm, and Balboa Mist is no exception. Balboa Mist could also be described as a warm gray paint color.

Between the beige and the purple undertone, Balboa Mist will always look warm.

Coordinating Colors for Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist

Balboa Mist tends to go best with other warm paint colors that are good bit darker than Balboa Mist is, such as deep reds or other darker warm greiges with similar undertones.

Other neutrals, such as browns, creams or whites are also complimentary colors for Balboa Mist.

Benjamin Moore lists two color pairings for Balboa Mist.

First, Balboa Mist is paired with Stardust, a warm medium depth brown, and Deep Poinsettia, a rich orangy red.

Second, Balboa Mist goes well with Delray Gray, a medium depth gray, and Night Horizon, a deep blackish brown.

Trim Colors for Balboa Mist

There are two white paint colors that go really well with Balboa Mist.

Balboa Mist looks amazing with Chantilly Lace. Chantilly Lace is a very clean, crisp white by Benjamin Moore that just leans warm. It goes with most any paint color.

If you like a clean, white trim, but want something with a little more softness, my go-to trim color is Pure White, by Sherwin Williams. It has just a hint of gray in it that keeps it from being too stark.

Where Can I Use Balboa Mist?

Balboa Mist is a good color for your living room, dining room, entryway, bathroom, or bedrooms. It is a great color for almost anywhere because it is light and neutral.

Balboa Mist can also work on cabinets if you want a soft, subtle greige look.

Balboa Mist Color Strip

Balboa Mist shares a color strip with several other popular Benjamin Moore paint colors.

For example, Balboa Mist is one shade below Classic Gray. This means that Balboa Mist is darker than Classic Gray.

Cumulus Cloud is one shade darker than Balboa Mist. It is directly below Balboa Mist on the color strip.

Balboa Mist also shares a color strip with La Paloma Gray, River Reflections, Equestrian Gray and Dash of Pepper.

Many people would assume that this means that Classic Gray, Balboa Mist and Cumulus Cloud are all the same color, just different depths. This isn’t true.

When Benjamin Moore came out with their “Classics” collection, they did not create shades that were exactly the same, just lighter or darker versions. Instead, they grouped similar shades together on the color strips.

So, you can expect all of the colors on Balboa Mist’s color strip to be similar, but they may carry slightly different undertones.

If you are looking for a darker version of Balboa Mist for an accent color, River Reflections is a nice shade of medium dark greige that would pair well.

(As a fun fact, as technology got better, Benjamin Moore did begin making their color strips contain shades that were all the same, but just different depths. But they weren’t able to do this when their made their “Classics” collection).

Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist Compared

Whenever I do a full paint color review, I always like to compare the paint color I am discussing with other paint colors that people may be considering.

People tend to consider paint colors that are part of the same color family (in this case, greiges) or that have the same uses.

For Balboa Mist, we are going to compare it to other paint colors that are in the greige family. I find that looking at the paint colors next to each other can help people determine which is going to be the right paint color for their home.

Balboa Mist vs. Pale Oak

Pale Oak is another popular Benjamin Moore greige paint color. It is just a smidge lighter than Balboa Mist.

Pale Oak is a gray/beige blend with more of a pink undertone, but it also can show a purple undertone as well.

Pale Oak and Balboa Mist are fairly similar. If you are really concerned about a purple undertone, you may find that a pink undertone is more agreeable.

If so, consider Pale Oak.

Balboa Mist vs. Classic Gray

Classic Oak is a beautiful light greige paint color by Benjamin Moore. As I mentioned before, Classic Oak is the color above Balboa Mist on the color strip.

Classic Oak is a good bit lighter than Balboa Mist, and can more easily be classified as an off-white paint color.

Similar to Balboa Mist, Classic Oak also has purple/pink undertone that gives it a light, airy, warm look.

If you want a neutral paint color that is just a hint off of white, Classic Gray may be a better choice for you.

But if you want a shade that is light and airy but has a bit more depth, Balboa Mist is the pick here.

Balboa Mist vs. Edgecomb Gray

Edgecomb Gray is a third popular paint color by Benjamin Moore. Like Balboa Mist, Edgecomb Gray is a greige.

While Balboa Mist leans more into its gray, Edgecomb Gray has a little more beige in it.

Edgecomb Gray tends to have fairly passive undertones. Some see a bit of green in it, and some see a hint of pink, but I find it to be pretty neutral.

If you want a greige paint color that has more beige than gray, Edgecomb Gray is a good choice. But if you like a soft, warm gray, Balboa Mist will be a better bet.

Click here to read all about Edgecomb Gray.

Balboa Mist vs. Agreeable Gray

Agreeable Gray is Sherwin Williams top selling paint color. It is a warm greige paint color with soft green undertones

Agreeable Gray is a bit darker than Balboa Mist. It has a little more depth. But, both Agreeable Gray and Balboa Mist lean more towards gray than beige.

If you are worried about a purple undertone, Agreeable Gray might be a good choice for you.

Click here to read all about Agreeable Gray.

Balboa Mist vs. Revere Pewter

Revere Pewter was Benjamin Moore’s top paint color for a long time. It is a greige that leans more towards beige than gray. With a soft green undertone, it is sort of like the other side of the coin to Agreeable Gray.

Revere Pewter is a bit darker than Balboa Mist. Balboa Mist has a light and airy quality to it, while Revere Pewter will look like a definite color on your wall.

Revere Pewter is also not as trendy right now as it used to be. People tend to be favoring greiges that have more gray in them.

If you’re not so worried about what is super popular at the moment, and just want a nice griege, Revere Pewter might be a good bet for you. But, if you want a color that is more on-trend, go with Balboa Mist.

Click here to read all about Revere Pewter.

Wondering How To Pick the Perfect Paint Color?

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Final Thoughts on Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist Paint Color

Balboa Mist is an elegant, sophisticated paint color. It has a timeless quality to it that works in most homes. In particular, Balboa Mist works well in farmhouse or traditional style homes.

If you want a soft neutral that has a light and airy quality to it, Balboa Mist should be considered!

Want to see all your paint options in one convenient place? Click here to get everything you need to start painting, including Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore paint color decks!

Thanks for sharing!