Benjamin Moore Lenox Tan HC-44: Undertones & Real Home Use

With beige paint colors making a massive comeback in the design world, it’s no surprise to see Lenox Tan popping up here and there. Sure, more muted shades are often more popular, but this doesn’t mean Lenox Tan isn’t the perfect shade for you and your home.

But if you’ve read my blog for a while (thank you), you know that there’s a lot to consider when choosing a paint color – undertones, depth, coordinating shades, and more. This is why today, we’re going to take a close look at Lenox Tan in its Kylie M. Color Review…

WHAT TYPE OF COLOR IS LENOX TAN?

In the wild world of warm neutrals, one of the best ways to separate beige from tan is via their undertones. In general, beige paint colors tend to have an orange undertone (the most popular ones lean orange-pink). On the other hand, tan paint colors cater to a yellow undertone (most often, yellow-green). This makes Lenox Tan an interesting warm neutral as it isn’t committed super hard one way or the other.

The Difference Between Beige & Tan

Sure, Lenox Tan has yellow and a flash of green, but it can also pick up a decent degree of orange, which stops it from looking like a traditional shade of tan.

But regardless of the way it leans regarding undertones, Lenox Tan is a considerably warm neutral paint color – warmer than the average shade of beige. This is one reason why Lenox Tan was popular in the early 2000s, as its warmth and richness catered to the Tuscan-style finishes from 2000-2010.

Lenox Tan’s warmth makes it a great choice for a room with northern light, as its slightly rich warmth helps balance its coolness. It also has enough saturation to sit well in a room with flat and dull Eastern afternoon or Western morning light.

This said, you must be careful in south-facing rooms or those that get afternoon western sunshine. Because Lenox Tan is ‘ahem’, quite warm, it can make a south-facing/west-facing room look WAY too roasty-toasty.

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

THE LRV OF LENOX TAN

Lenox Tan has an LRV of 43.14. With an LRV this deep, Lenox Tan is getting darn close to the middle of the spectrum and isn’t as light or soft as MOST popular beige and tan paint colors.

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

WHAT ARE LENOX TAN’S UNDERTONES?

As we chatted about earlier, Lenox Tan has a yellow undertone with some green and orange popping up here and there. Interestingly, while it was a popular shade in the 2000s, it was often the wrong choice for the beige-inspired finishes used back then, as most leaned orange-pink (beige), not yellow-green (tan).

If you’re unfamiliar with the term ‘undertones’, it’s another way of describing how a color leans, or its bias toward a particular hue. Just know that this can change depending on a room’s exposure, lighting, etc.

Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Lenox Tan…

THE BEST WHITE TRIM COLOR WITH LENOX TAN WALLS

Oooo, that’s an easy answer. If you’re painting your trims or cabinets white, here are my favorites…

• Benjamin Moore Cloud White
• Sherwin Williams Alabaster

The Best Warm White Paint Colors from Benjamin Moore

IS IT A GOOD EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR?

It’s not a hard no; it’s just a ‘be careful.’ Like interior finishes, many exterior finishes cater more to a beige with orange-pink. Often, Lenox Tan picks up a bit too much yellow-green to do the job.

That said, this next home is a good example of why it’s not 100% no, as Lenox Tan looks beautiful with this exterior and cream trim.

5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color

IS LENOX TAN OUTDATED?

As far as paint trends go, it’s hard to keep up. While Lenox Tan is one of Benjamin Moore’s most popular beiges from the 2000s, and while beiges are back in style, not everyone is ready for the saturation (depth and degree of color/undertones) of Lenox Tan. Does this make it a bad choice? No, but I wouldn’t say it’s a popular color…yet.

On the other hand, if your home is more traditional, colors like Lenox Tan can look reasonably timeless if the right furnishings and decor surround them.

DOES IT GO WITH CREAM CABINETS & TRIMS

Yes, Lenox Tan can be gorgeous with many of the most popular cream trim and cabinet colors (above and below). However, if your cabinets are cream and glazed, the color of the glazing can affect this slightly, so always sample carefully.

DOES IT GO WITH WOOD TRIMS & CABINETS?

It depends on the stain of your wood. Lenox Tan can look stunning with many yellow-stained woods and can handle red-stained woods as long as they aren’t overly red and have some depth. However, it’s iffy with woods with a lighter pink undertone/stain, pickling, or graywash.

As shown below, its green undertone can show up a bit more with some wood stains (since most don’t contain green)…

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO LENOX TAN?

To find the paint color that has the best undertones for your finishes, it’s important to sample and compare…

LENOX TAN VS. BENJAMIN MOORE SHAKER BEIGE

Shaker Beige is a great comparison. Starting with depth, Shaker Beige has an LRV of 53.53, which is much lighter than Lenox Tan’s 43.14. Shaker Beige is more of a ‘light-medium’ depth that winks at the light range.

She’s a beauty and looks better with these red oak floors than Lenox Tan would

When it comes to undertones, Shaker Beige can have the same yellow-orange as Lenox Tan, but you might notice that Shaker Beige has a touch of pink. This makes Shaker Beige a bit more versatile toward a range of finishes.

LENOX TAN VS. BENJAMIN MOORE GREENBRIER BEIGE

This is a fun comparison (if you’re a color nerd like me). Lenox Tan and Greenbrier Beige are similar in depth, with Greenbrier Beige at 41.6 and Lenox Tan at 43.14; both are well into the light-medium depths.

Where it’s fun to see the difference is in the undertones. In comparing the two, you’ll see that Greenbrier Beige is a more TYPICAL tan paint color with a yellow-green hue that isn’t tempered by orange and has more green popping up.

LENOX TAN VS. SHERWIN WILLIAMS BASKET BEIGE & NOMADIC DESERT

As far as finding a color in Sherwin Williams that’s similar to Lenox Tan, we’d land on Basket Beige. With its LRV of 42, it’s darn close in depth to Lenox Tan. As for undertones and intentions, they’re both playing on the same ball field, but notice how Basket Beige seems to have a touch more yellow.

Sherwin Williams Basket Beige with gorgeous dark wood trim

As for Nomadic Desert, it’s a nice alternative if you need a slightly more noticeable change in undertones. Compared to Lenox Tan, Nomadic Desert has a softer, gentler, slightly duskier look. You might even find it looking a wee wink pink (in comparison). As for depth, it’s lighter than Lenox Tan with its LRV of 46, making it a more moderate light-medium neutral.

Sherwin Williams Nomadic Desert

WHAT COLORS GO WITH LENOX TAN IN A PALETTE?

If you’re creating a room-to-room palette, Lenox Tan has several suitors…

• Many shades of medium to dark green paint colors; warm ones are usually better than cool.
• It can be STUNNING with purple paint colors (muted is best) like Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate.
• A wide range of cream paint colors
• Shades of greige that are a similar depth or darker (can’t be lighter) are beautiful complements to Lenox Tan.
• Dark grays with a green undertone can be interesting with Lenox Tan, in particular, Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray.
• Lighter beige paint colors with the same undertone blend
• Lenox Tan doesn’t want to be partnered close by with lighter greiges, lighter grays, or muted tan paint colors

READ MORE

The Best Beige & Tan Paint Colors With MORE DEPTH

The 14 Best TRENDY Beige & Tan Paint Colors

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige

NEED HELP?

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

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2020, UPDATED IN 2025