HomeThe Best Paint ColoursBENJAMIN MOORE & SHERWIN WILLIAMS: Paint Color ReviewsBenjamin Moore Caliente AF-290: Color Review (2018 Colour of the Year)

Benjamin Moore Caliente AF-290: Color Review (2018 Colour of the Year)

Posted on April 14, 2023 by KylieMawdsley

THE BEST RAVISHING SHADE OF RED FOR DOORS, ACCENT WALLS, & MORE

HOT DAMN…literally. I did not see this one coming! It turns out that Benjamin Moore is throwing down the gauntlet with another ‘game-changing’ colour of the year. That’s right, we’re going RED!

And not just any red. Whereas some trendy reds lean on orange, giving an earthy, rusty appearance, this red is one blazing hot, glorious shade. Let me introduce you to…

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Benjamin Moores best red, colour of the year Caliente. Kylie M Interiors E-design and color advice

Not familiar with it? Well, if you haven’t visited Paris’ fashion shows (oh pshaw!), painted your front door, or wanted to add a little hot SPICE to the bedroom, you’ve probably skipped over this one.

But that doesn’t mean you should…

Caliente is part of the Affinity Colour Collection, which is well-known for having colors that are deeper and more involved than your ‘everyday’ paint colour. The average color is made up of, say, 3-4 tints. The Affinity colors can be made up of 7-8, making them hard to colour match and super versatile!

Caliente is a ravishing red (takes one to know one – wink wink), and unlike the reds of yesteryear, it doesn’t lean into the orange range, which means we’re avoiding the earthy-rusty effect. However, it’s not a terribly COLD red because it isn’t overly blue-toned. It really just sits nicely in a more intimate range, rather than being shocking or abrasive.

But that doesn’t mean you have to like it…

Any colour and where it looks good depends on a variety of things, such as the room, the exposure, and the products in the room. However, with the Caliente, in particular, it REALLY comes down to personal tastes.

Benjamin Moore Caliente colour of the year in eating area with white tile via BM. Info via Kylie M E-design, expert advice

I’ve found that people either LOVE red or hate it. Many people can handle it as an accent but would be hesitant to commit to it on a scale larger than an apple or underwear. And then there are others who wouldn’t HESITATE to paint their entire room a rip-roarin’ red or, at the very least, an accent wall! (Personally, the only red I’ll be splashing on my walls tastes an awful lot like wine, in which case I’ll be licking my walls shortly).

So, with that being said, let’s take a closer look at Caliente to see if it could work for you…

WHAT’S THE LRV OF CALIENTE?

Caliente DOES pack a punch with an LRV of 8.82! This means it’s in the darker range and will add a sultry, sexy look to your walls – but let’s keep things PG here, people.

However, whereas many colors with this low LRV can read flat or dark, thanks to Caliente’s intense color (chroma), there’s nothing drab about it.

 The Ultimate Guide to LRV and Choosing Paint Colours 

 

WHERE DOES CALIENTE (OR RED) WORK BEST?

There are a lot of places where Caliente will work. There are two good reasons why Caliente is a super flexible, versatile shade of red…

  1. while it’s a striking shade, it’s not obnoxious like a primary red
  2. it’s more fresh and striking than a more country, rustic red

A RED FRONT DOOR

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR – DO YOU WANT TO HEAT THE WHOLE NEIGHBOURHOOD – sorry, flashback to my childhood.

Really, though, I’m not a red fan, but this entryway TOTALLY does it for me. I think it’s the contrast with the white and gray and adequate natural lighting – it’s pretty striking!

Front door painted Caliente. Red. Benjamin Moore colour of the year.Photo via BM. Info via Kylie M E-design color advice.

Because I haven’t had clients use Caliente, and I don’t ‘borrow’ from other Designers, I don’t have images of Caliente in action. These are photos from the Benjamin Moore site.

USING RED IN ACCESSORIES & ACCENTS

This might be where I’d land if adding red to my home. And while I prefer a more rustic red, I can see how this fresh red is TOTALLY appealing in a room like this!

Benjamin Moore red accent colour in Caliente. Photo BM. Info Kylie M E-design colour advice

A RED ACCENT WALL

Accent or feature walls are a great way to add personality to a room without committing a) long term and b) large scale.

Benjamin Moore Caliente in a dining room as the feature wall wiht light wood flooring. Info via Kylie M E-design. Photo via Benjamin Moore

However, if you love all things red (including me), you might be RED-Y to commit to it in an entire room, in which case red can look SMASHING in…

A SMALL ROOM IN RED

Small rooms such as powder rooms are the BEST place to add personality and leave your guests with a lasting impression!

Benjamin Moore colour of the year Calient in small bathroom or powder room. Image via Benjamin Moore. Info Kylie M Interiors colour blog. REd paint colour

3 Ideas to Add Personality to a Small Bathroom

RED IN THE BEDROOM

Personally, I don’t need to add any more reason for Tim to get fired up for the pants-off-dance-off, so I’ll be avoiding this one for sure.

Benjamin Moore Caliente with a feature wall in Classic Gray. 2018 colour of the year. Info via Kylie M E-design colour blog. Photo via Benjamin Moore

RED IN THE DINING ROOM

According to color psychology, a red like Caliente is great for the appetite!

Benjamin Moore colour of the year Caliente, red paint colour on feature wall, dining room. Via BM, info via Kylie M E-design expert advice

So whatcha think – does it float ‘yer boat, or are you more comfortable with a daring shade of navy blue or a moody dark green?

 

BENJAMIN MOORE CALIENTE SAMPLIZE PEEL AND STICK

Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF CALIENTE HERE

 

CALIENTE (or almost any red) & HOW TO USE IT

  • It can help to jazz up a cooler north-facing room or FURTHER enhance the warmth of a south-facing room
  • It looks stunning with a lot of wood tones, but I might avoid overly orange-toned woods
  • It will benefit from a good coat of primer before you jump into the real painting
  • Consider a matte or, at the most, eggshell finish. Red can get a bit garish on walls if they’re too glossy
  • On a door, satin is a beautiful, durable finish for a red like Caliente

 

CALIENTE vs. HERITAGE RED

No color should be chosen before comparing it to other similar shades. As for Heritage Red, it’s similar to Caliente in that they’re both reasonably powerful shades of red. However, they differ in that Heritage Red is lighter, with an LRV Of 10.26, to Caliente’s darker of 8.82. This isn’t a HUGE difference, but it’s noticeable when you compare the two colors. If I’m looking for a rockin’ red, I prefer Caliente to the slightly softer look of Heritage Red.

CALIENTE VS MILLION DOLLAR RED

Million Dollar Red is another popular shade of red thanks to its intensity – nodding towards the ‘primary red’ end. The great thing about comparing Caliente with Million Dollar Red is that MDR shows you how Caliente is powerful, but not SHOCKINGLY so. Million Dollar Red is awesome if you want a more genuine approach to red. However, Caliente is a great way to get red without getting slapped in the face with it.

Besides being a cleaner version of red, Million Dollar Red is a good shot lighter than Caliente, with its LRV of 12.58 (to Caliente’s 8.82).

 

READ MORE

The 9 Best Front Door Paint Colors

The 6 Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Islands & Bathroom Vanities

Kylie’s Colours of the Year: Real People Real Homes

Colour Review: Behr Quiet Moments

Not sure which colour to pick for YOUR room? 

Check out my E-DESIGN packages – they’re affordable AND fun! 

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Chat soon,

Kylie M Interiors Edecor and Edesign

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2017, UPDATED IN 2023



Comments

    1. Post
      Author

      Thanks Karen! I 2nd guessed that one as my Mom said it was too over the top. But really, that is kind of my humour, especially after a glass of wine!
      ~Kylie

  1. You are so freaking funny Kylie!
    Stunning!!! I LOVE it. I think it will work in my powder room. The white trim looks amazing with it too. Oceanside was too cold for me and didn’t look nice with my maple cabinets. I diggity-dig it!

    1. Post
      Author

      Well THANK you, i try. Tim doesn’t find me quite as funny so I’m glad SOMEbody does! And yes, you know I love teal, but I feel like we’ve ‘been there done that’. Oceanside is pretty, but feels a bit 5 years ago maybe…

      🙂 Kylie

  2. Bright. Bold. Intense. Saturated lol. I had a feeling they would lean towards a color in this realm. Red is EVERYWHERE! (Well kinda sorta hehe). Cool name-Caliente. I personally prefer red as an accent color only as I’m a neutral kind of girl. But I can appreciate how striking it can look in someone else’s home. Love that red door. Not for me but still … The blues win out for me but it’d been boring if they had all picked the same color/colour story, right? Thanks for a lighthearted , funny and informative post. I always laugh out loud. ????

  3. Hi Kylie,
    As Donald Duck would say “You Quack me up!” But seriously, I love reading your blogs and your website! You are a wealth of expert decorating advise and your colour reviews are always dead-on fantastic! So thank you so much for that. BTW, I love red! I have accents of red throughout my house and it never feels like Christmas to me. Having said that, I was torn between accenting my white & grey kitchen with red or the popular teal blue that is also very pretty but in the end I went with the red. This review of yours just reminded me again of why I love red so much.
    Cheers to you, Lori

    1. Post
      Author

      Wahoo, thanks Lori! I am a bit quackers…

      As for the kitchen, you know what you CAN do? Use your red accents as 75% of your accent palette and then for the remaining 25% add the teal. They are SO dynamic together and really bounce off each other. It doesn’t take much to make some magic!

      ~Kylie

  4. This is a gorgeous red! I love that powder room.
    Do you have a source for the photo of the bed with the red bench and the red and white pillows? I love that pillow fabric and am wondering if its available for purchase somewhere. Thanks!

    1. Post
      Author
  5. I really hope that red will make a comeback or at least no longer be considered “dated”. I prefer more country reds as they always make me think of the barns that I grew up with in the South. Kudos to Benjamin Moore!

    1. Post
      Author

      You’re like me, I can totally get into a country red, but I’m hard-pressed to fall for the more intense, vibrant ones….

  6. This site is so fun and my absolute go to for all things paint as I renovate a 100 year old tudor house in New York. I am absolutely using this color for the front door and I think I’m going to use it for the foyer too. It’s a small space, 50 square feet maybe, and is separated from the rest of the house by a paneled glass door. The rest of my color palette is beige and gray but my style is eclectic and I’m happiest when nothing quite goes! Here’s hoping it’s not too much…

    1. Post
      Author
  7. I had my bedroom Caliente in my last house and LOVED it. It was awesome. Dark enough to add mystery, and complex enough to let me stare at it for hours and still discover things about it. I moved and miss it. Caliente has my heart. Be bold. It’s worth it!

    1. Post
      Author

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