Benjamin Moore Abalone & Barren Plain: Paint Color Review

If you love gray-violet colors, these should float your boat…

Are you looking for a gorgeous neutral gray paint color? Well, you’ve come to the wrong place! While Benjamin Moore Abalone and Barren Plain are definitely shades of gray, they have a few other things hiding inside, which we’ll take a closer look at today.

Remember, every gray has undertones. The key to finding the best gray for your room is to determine which undertones best suit your finishes and your tastes!

To show you RELATEABLE & REAL homes, I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients, friends, and followers. This means I don’t always have the pics I need. So, while I don’t have a ton of images of Barren Plain, I do have some super helpful info to help you on your way.

WHAT TYPES OF COLORS ARE BARREN PLAIN & ABALONE?

Both Abalone and Barren Plain are warm gray paint colors. However, while the difference between them is subtle, notice that Abalone is slightly warmer than Barren Plain, winking at the taupe world vs the cooler gray one. This is because Abalone has an extra dose of brown in its foundation.

Benjamin Moore Abalone in north-east light

• If you partner a north-facing light with Abalone, it will lean back grayer while holding a decent warmth (as shown above). If you have south-facing or afternoon western sunshine, it may lean a bit warmer/more taupe than expected.
• If you have a north-facing light, Barren Plain will look cooler, and you may notice the undertone a bit more. Will it look like a cool shade of gray? That’s open to perception, but if you want a warm shade of gray and have northern light, you might want to lean into Abalone instead. On the other hand, if you have south-facing or afternoon western sunshine, Barren Plain will lean a bit warmer without going totally taupe.

North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?

Here’s a good look at Barren Plain. Note how well it goes with the graywashed oak flooring…

WHAT ARE BARREN PLAINS & ABALONE’S LRVS?

Abalone’s LRV is 63.06, while Barren Plain’s is 63.16. These comparable LRVs mean they’re essentially the same depth and are both in the light depth range; in fact, they’re right in the sweet spot!

Benjamin Moore Abalone in north-east light

Having these LRVs, these two colors will hold up reasonably well to average natural light. While they’ll wash out a bit with a lot of natural light, EVERY color will, and these will hold up better than brighter shades.

Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.

WHAT ARE THEIR UNDERTONES?

Every gray has undertones, and Abalone and Barren Plain have more than the average shade of gray-violet. While they don’t lean as far as Portland Gray and Cement Gray, here’s what they’ve got…

• Abalone has a considerably WARM PURPLE undertone, meaning it’s more of a purple-pink. If you have a south-facing light, this could show up to the party a bit more, with a taupe vibe (taupe being warmer than gray, but not as warm as beige).
• Barren Plain has a slightly warm purple undertone, meaning it’s less likely to go purple-pink on you. Again, the undertone isn’t terribly subtle (if you ask me, but if you love purple, you might disagree—it might not be purple enough!).

Abalone with south-west light

Long story short, if you’re sensitive to purple undertones, I wouldn’t choose either of these colors and would read this instead.

Here are your Peel & Stick samples of Abalone & Barren Plain!

WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE TRIM OR CABINET COLOR?

I’ve found that both Abalone and Barren Plain prefer a cleaner white approach. If you partner them with too warm of a white, the yellow of the warm white will clash with the purple undertones of these paint colors. Instead, I would sample…

• Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
• Benjamin Moore Oxford White
• Sherwin Williams Pure White works, too

Benjamin Moore’s 8 Best White Paint Colors

SHOULD I Paint My Wood Cabinets White? A QUESTIONNAIRE

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO BARREN PLAIN & ABALONE?

Sampling and comparing similar colors is one of the most important parts of your color journey! Here are my favorite shades with similar intentions.

• Collingwood is awesome as it picks up what they’re throwing down regarding warm gray and purple, but its undertones are more subtle.
• Balboa Mist is another similar shade with a bit more subtle undertones and warmth.
• I’d definitely look at Sherwin Williams Popular Gray and Alpaca.
• Sherwin Williams Egret White? Amazeballs.
• Get a bit more commitment to violet with Benjamin Moore Cement Gray or Portland Gray.

Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist

Benjamin Moore Collingwood

DO THESE COLORS GO WITH WOOD TRIMS & CABINETS?

These two colors can be GORGEOUS with a wide range of wood stains, especially red oak or wood with a red or pink undertone. As shown earlier, here’s Abalone with bedroom furniture with a strong red-purple stain…

This said, they can be interesting with golden oak or yellow-orange-toned woods, too, as the violet in them is an interesting partner to these hues!

Paint Colors with Wood Trims

WHAT COLORS GO WITH BARREN PLAIN & ABALONE?

When putting these colors in a palette, you can consider some…

• Darker, slightly warm, or reasonably warm grays with purple undertones.
• Darker grays (darker than Abalone and Barren Plain) with a gray-blue or gray-green undertone can be exciting partners.
• Light, soft gray paint colors with reasonably strong blue or green undertones
• Some subtle, off-white paint colors
• Light to medium-depth shades of green.

READ MORE

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams On the Rocks

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Classic Gray

The Best WHOLE HOME Gray, Greige, & Taupe Paint Colors

NEED HELP?

Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!