Posted on May 2, 2022 by KylieMawdsley
Benjamin Moore Winds Breath: my new FAVE neutral paint color
When it comes to warm neutral paint colors, you get to choose between colors like warm grays, taupes, beiges and creams. But what if you can’t decide? What if you want a little bit of them ALL? This is where Winds Breath comes in handy and is why we’re taking a closer look at it today with its COLOR REVIEW!
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED…
In order to show you RELATEABLE & REAL homes, I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. This means I don’t always have the quality photos I need or the RIGHT photos, but DEFINITELY have some SUPER helpful info to help you on your way!
What type of paint color is Winds Breath? Is it warm or cool?
Winds Breath is a WARM paint color; hovering between the worlds of warm taupe and beige, making it QUITE the hybrid (there’s even a TINY nod towards cream)! With the flexibility of Winds Breath, it’s a great option when you need a paint color that doesn’t commit hard to one shade of neutral or another. This can be handy when you have tricky finishes to accommodate.
In this next photo, see how Winds Breath isn’t quite as beige as Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige (top) nor as warm and creamy as Benjamin Moore Ballet White.
However, with the degree of flexibility in Winds Breath, you can expect it to lean a bit more into taupe in north-facing rooms or those with a flat eastern light – not NEARLY enough to make it gray, but these natural lights can mute the warmth of Winds Breath a bit.
On the other hand, if you have south-facing light or warm afternoon sunshine, Winds Breath will lean into its warmth, without looking overly golden or creamy.
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
What’s the LRV of Winds Breath?
Winds Breath has an LRV of 70, which puts it on the HIGH side of the light range. With this higher LRV, if your room has average or brighter light, it could act more like an off-white. If your room is SUPER bright, Winds Breath will definitely wash out, as will any paint color in this range.
On the other hand, if you have a DARK or low-light room, because it’s a warm neutral, Winds Breath could look a BIT drab. Make sure you improve your interior lighting and partner it with a relatively clean white trim color.
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
How to Make a Dark Room Look Brighter – and it ain’t with paint!
The Best LIGHT Paint Colors for a DARK room
What are the undertones of Winds Breath? Will it look pink?
Winds Breath is DEFINITELY a complicated warm neutral paint color. While its undertones are VERY subtle, it can pick up a very gentle taupe (pink-violet), but can ALSO lean that bit into cream in certain situations. HOWEVER, even if you’re sensitive to these undertones, they’re so subtle that you might not even notice them at all!
These next two photos are BY FAR, the creamiest you can expect Winds Breath to look…
What’s the best way to sample a paint color?
Let’s take a quick break to talk about paint samples…
Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…
- samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on location
- they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling
- if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room
Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE
What’s the best white trim or cabinet color with Winds Breath?
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
- Sherwin Williams Pure White
3 Steps to Picking the Best White Paint Color
The 8 Best Benjamin Moore White Paint Colors
Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore White Dove
Is Winds Breath a good exterior paint color?
When my Online Paint Color Consulting clients are looking for exterior colors, they’re usually looking for colors that are a bit more COMMITTED to something – usually WHITE or a color with a bit more depth or body (ie. LRV of 55 or lower).
If you choose Winds Breath, EXPECT it to lean warmer. And whereas that wink of cream isn’t always as noticeable on walls, you can expect it to show up more on an exterior.
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
Is Winds Breath a popular color for kitchen cabinets?
With off-white and light depth cabinet colors being so on-trend, Winds Breath could be a good choice. Just remember, because of its LRV, it takes up this color slot. This means that your walls will either need to be the SAME color, WHITE, or a color in the light-medium range with SIMILAR undertones to get any kind of contrast. This can be VERY LIMITING in the short-term and long-term.
Also, just as with exteriors, Winds Breath often looks a BIT warmer than expected on cabinets!
How to Choose the Best White Paint Color for Your Kitchen Cabinets
The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Island & Bathroom Vanities
The 4 Best Gray & Greige Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets & Vanities
What paint colors are similar to Winds Breath for some comparisons?
Every paint color has its own personality and nuances – there will be NO perfect match. You can fully expect to see shifts in undertones, temperature, and depths, but you could check out…
- Sherwin Williams Egret White
- Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
- Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray (a bit darker and more grounded)
And if you’re thinking of color matching between brands (ie. getting Benjamin Moore to make a Sherwin Williams paint color), you might want to read THIS first.
What type of paint colors go with Winds Breath in a color palette?
- cool grays with blue or blue-green undertones that are DARKER than Winds Breath
- relatively clean and simple whites
- some GORGEOUS blue-green blends, particularly more muted ones
Not sure if Winds Breath is your perfect color?
READ MORE
Paint Color Review Benjamin Moore Pale Oak
Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Egret White
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White
Not sure which paint color is best for YOUR home?
Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
Chat soon,
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Thanks for reviewing this color. Would you use it on walls with Edgecomb Gray cabinets in a bright space? Other suggestions?
Love, love, love your blog!! Please share your thoughts on Edgecomb Gray and Winds Breath with honey oak trim.
Author
BEAUTIFUL! I see no problem with this – of course, I say that without seeing your space :).
Thank you for this! This article was validation for my decisions and feelings about Winds Breath. It is my favorite paint color in my house. I used it with SW pure white trim and have it in the majority of my—smaller sized—townhouse. It brightens things up, but still feels welcoming. It is adjacent to a room with magnolia home’s Emmie’s Room (blue/green) and I think it works well. After all of my painting mistakes it was nice to find WB, it just is calming and doesn’t yell at you when you walk in the room. I’m about to have my bedroom repainted with WB after making the mistake of FB peignoir (way more purple than the test pot..I needed to sample a larger size…ahhh!!!).
Love your color expertise and humor! Thinking of using winds breath or edgecomb grey on our walls(southeast light) and doing the cabinets in requisite grey. do you think either wall color would look ok w the cabinet color and compliment each other ok???
Just painted kitchen in Winds Breath…it looks green in natural light. Any suggestions?
Author
Hi Terri, that’s likely coming from the outside and one way to balance that is with colours that have a bit more taupe (violet-pink or pink) in them :).
Hi, I had my Kitchen cabinets painted in Windsbreath. I am looking for a white for my walls. I’m having a hard time choosing. Our trim has been painted in Pure White. Do you have any suggestions? I was looking at Chantilly Lace.
Author
If you have Pure White trim already I HIGHLY SUGGEST using Pure White on the walls too. Chantilly Lace could make your trim look dingy/darker in comparison!
Great post!! Very informative!
I am looking to repaint my bedroom and am torn between Winds Breath and Edgecomb grey. It is a north facing room with a little bit of western light. We have one window which is about 3×3, maybe 3.5. Thank you!!
Author
Oooo, from the sounds of it, PERSONALLY, I’d lean into Winds Breath 🙂
Hello. Love all of your assistance that you give us. I am thinking of painting Winds Breath on a wall next to Edgecomb Gray in the hopes of toning down the green that comes out at the north end of the living room and from reading would Winds Breath tone the green down a bit and also match with Edgecomb. Thank you.
Hi! I see people mentioning/comparing Wind’s Breath with Edgecomb Gray but how do they coordinate side by side? Thinking of WB as an entryway, hallway, stairwell color with EG in connecting main spaces… Family Room, Kitchen, Dining…
Author
Ahhh yes, it would be hard to ‘compare’ them, as they’re in different depths. You’re right in what you’re doing as they are GORGEOUS partners in a palette :).
Thanks! Would Gray Owl work well with WB in a palette as well? They look pretty soft and calm together to me.