The 11 Best DARK Taupe & Greige Paint Colours (Benjamin Moore)

The DARK Side of Taupe & Greige

Regarding the most popular dark gray, greige, and taupe paint colors, Benjamin Moore is the top dog in the gray end of things and holds its own with greige. However, in the taupe world, Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore are lacking.

Why?

Let’s have a little chat…

WHAT UNDERTONES DO GREIGE & TAUPE HAVE?

When it comes to greige and taupe, there will always be undertones. Like taxes, death, and empty wine bottles, they’re impossible to avoid (and make me cry equally as much).

 

WHAT IS GREIGE?

Is greige more beige, brown, or gray? That’s a good question. Greige is snuggled in tight between gray and beige. Some greiges cater to gray, making them look a bit cooler, whereas others lean into the warmth of beige, making them look warmer. Long story short, it depends on which greige you choose. As for undertones, greige favors a green undertone and more rarely flashes into violet.

In this next photo, Benjamin Moore Graystone is a greige that caters MUCH more to gray than beige…

In the light range, it’s a bit easier to find greiges with a minimal undertone. But once you hit the darker end of things, they tend to grab a bit more green, meaning few greiges make the cut as they often read more ‘green’ than ‘neutral.’

 

WHAT IS TAUPE?

Is taupe more beige, brown, or gray? It depends on which color you choose. Like greige, taupe is between gray and beige and can lean warmer or cool depending on the blend. But unlike greige, which leans into green, taupe prefers a VIOLET undertone (sometimes violet-pink) and more rarely flashes into green.

Sherwin Williams Best Dark Greige & Taupe Paint Colors

Even in the light range, taupe rarely hides its undertones for those sensitive to violet and pink. However, as taupe darkens, you’ll see it pick up more VIOLET and BROWN.

 

1. BENJAMIN MOORE KINGSPORT GRAY HC-86

I’ve got mad love for Kingsport Gray.

Why?

Well, as far as Benjamin Moore goes, it has the least undertone; you could almost call it a neutral taupe! However, with its lack of commitment comes the chance that it could flex slightly into green. Should you call Kingsport Gray greige or taupe? It depends on the exposure it’s receiving and the surrounding finishes—it’s a bit of a ninja!

Why?

You ask a lot of questions—I like that about you. The less committed a colour is to a particular undertone, the more likely it is to shift into another based on exposure, surroundings, light bulbs, etc.

You might be wondering about the darker look of Fairview Taupe. Fairview Taupe is often compared to Kingsport, as it sits right above it in the fan deck. While it might have taupe in its name, Fairview Taupe leans pretty hard into brown (the darker version of beige), to the point where it loses the whole gray-beige blend, and with its increased depth, looks BROWN. This is what we talked about earlier: how taupes often pick up a lot more brown and/or violet as they darken.

While Kingsport Gray shows up on walls, it’s far more popular on kitchen islands and bathroom vanities…

FULL Paint Colour Review: Benjamin Moore Kingsport Gray

 

2. BENJAMIN MOORE DRAGON’S BREATH 1547

No, we’re not talking about my morning breath; we’re talking about Dragon’s Breath (same-same, really). Dragon’s Breath is a wickedly dark greige with a gorgeous green undertone. If you’ve been doing your research looking at Sherwin William’s greiges as well, this might sound awfully familiar – and it should. Dragon’s Breath is the kissin’ cousin to Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze. However, Dragon’s Breath is a bit warmer and a wee bit greener.

Dragon’s Breath has an LRV of 7, making it a dark but not blackish choice for exteriors, front doors, cabinets, and even feature walls.

But regardless of how great it sounds, in my Online Paint Color Consulting, I rarely refer to Dragon’s Breath unless a client specifies Benjamin Moore paint only.

Why?

Urbane Bronze is a bit more subtle in its approach while still getting the point across (unlike me, who is NEVER subtle when I have a point to make).

Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze

Urbane Bronze vs. 6 TOP GREIGE Paint Colors

 

3. BENJAMIN MOORE STARDUST 2108-40

Stardust is a beautiful taupe with just a wink of a warm violet undertone. With an LRV of 23, Stardust has a subtle, rich warmth without diving into the brown end.

And while Sherwin Williams is usually my go-to for darker taupes, Stardust is more neutral-looking than most of my favorite Sherwin William taupe paint colors. This being said, some might call it taupe, and others might call it a brown with gray in it.

Do you love purple when it’s MORE than an undertone?

The 9 Best Benjamin Moore Purple Paint Colors

 

4. BENJAMIN MOORE ROCKPORT GRAY HC-105

Rockport Gray is a super popular shade of greige. Not only does its LRV of 35 make it flexible for walls, cabinets, and exteriors, but its green undertone is also subtle enough that some people don’t even know it’s there!

Does this mean it could flash a bit violet? Rarely, but compare it to your surrounding finishes to see how it settles.

5 Steps to Picking Your Best Exterior Paint Colour

Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Rockport Gray

 

5. BENJAMIN MOORE TAOS TAUPE 2111-40

While Taos Taupe is most definitely a taupe due to its violet undertone, with its reduced warmth, it could easily be mistaken for a warm gray. However, compare it to an ACTUAL warm gray like Benjamin Moore Metropolis, and you’ll see the difference.

Get your Samplize Peel & Stick sample of Taos Taupe HERE! 

Taos Taupe is similar to Stardust with an LRV of 24, making it a great depth for various surfaces without washing out or looking overly heavy.

 

Because I’m dedicated to showing you REAL HOMES and only refer to my Online Colour Consulting client’s photos, I don’t have any great examples of this beautiful color. Thank you to those who’ve sent their photos in! 

 

6. BENJAMIN MOORE BRIARWOOD HC-175

Briarwood isn’t talked about often, but it should be. In the wild world of taupes, greiges, and warm grays, Briarwood offers the best of all worlds.

While Briarwood is warmer than a traditional warm gray, it’s not as rich and warm as colors like Ashley Gray (coming up shortly). And while it caters more to taupe (violet) than greige (green), its commitment is minimal, making it a great flexible neutral.

Briarwood has an LRV of 31.8, making it a great, moderate depth for exteriors, cabinets, accent walls, and more!

 

7. BENJAMIN MOORE GARGOYLE 1546

Gargoyle is picking up where Dragon’s Breath left off but with a slightly softer approach. Being a greige, Gargoyle naturally has a green undertone. And with an LRV of 17, Gargoyle has some serious meat on its bones without the more striking depth of Dragon’s Breath.

Taupe & Greige: What’s the Big Difference?

 

8. BENJAMIN MOORE WAYNESBORO TAUPE 1544 / ASHLEY GRAY HC 87

Two names; same color. In fact, there’s a third name for this colour—Shenandoah Taupe. Thank you, Benjamin Moore, for confusing your customers.

TOP TO BOTTOM: Ashley Gray / Pashmina / River Reflections

But no matter WHAT you call it, Waynesboro Taupe-Ashley Gray-Shenandoah Taupe is a gorgeous paint color with the most passive undertones. With an LRV of 32, this gorgeous shade of taupe is smack dab in the middle of the medium depth range, making it flexible for a wide range of surfaces, from exteriors and cabinets to entire rooms.

In the above photo, notice the shift from Ashley Gray’s passive violet undertone to River Reflection’s subtle green undertone (bottom color) – this shows taupe and greige at their best!

CHECK OUT MY ONLINE PAINT COLOUR CONSULTING!

 

9. BENJAMIN MOORE COPLEY GRAY HC-104

Copley Gray sits above Rockport Gray in the fan deck and comes in with a lower LRV of 24. However, whereas Rockport Gray nods politely to green, Copley Gray leans in more and picks up a touch more richness/warmth.

 

10. BENJAMIN MOORE GRAYSTONE 1475

Graystone is a gorgeous choice for cabinets, walls, exteriors, or trims. While it has a green undertone, it’s subtle. And being a more muted warm color, it can read as a warm gray or a greige, depending on the exposure of your room/exterior or the temperature of the surrounding finishes.

Benjamin Moore Graystone Color Review

As for LRV (depth), Graystone sits at 30.5, putting it in the middle of the medium depth range.

 

11. BENJAMIN MOORE BARNBOARD CC-572

Barnboard looks just like it sounds—washed-out and neutral. However, washed-out isn’t a bad thing when it relates to neutrals, as it can let you know that a color has minimal undertones.

But is Barnboard greige, taupe…or brown?

Barnboard (also known as Iron Gate 1545) is an interesting color. Right beneath it (in the fan deck) sit Gargoyle and Dragon’s Breath, both of which can grab a green undertone. Above it, you’ll find Waynesboro Taupe, which is slightly more inclined toward violet. And THIS is what makes this color so intriguing, as it kisses the edges of both with no commitment to either! Sure, of the two, it might favor violet, but its fractional, at best.

But as you’ve learned, the less committed a color is to its undertone, the more likely it is to pick up one or the other based on environmental factors like exposure/lighting/etc. so be sure to sample carefully!

Sherwin Williams 6 Best Greige & Taupe Paint Colors

 

WHAT’S THE MOST POPULAR DARK GREIGE OR TAUPE PAINT COLOR?

With a focus on Benjamin Moore, Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray is the top choice in the lighter range. But once you get into the dark end of greige and taupe, there’s no CLEAR winner. However, Benjamin Moore Rockport Gray is reasonably popular and flexible regarding exteriors, feature walls, cabinets, and entire rooms.

 

IS GREIGE STILL POPULAR?

HECK, YES! Greige is one of the top paint colors, surpassing gray in many homes. Greige is a great choice for walls, cabinets, front doors, and exteriors, making it HUGELY versatile.

 

IS TAUPE STILL POPULAR?

Taupe is one of the more popular neutral paint color choices. With trends slowly shifting out of gray and into beige, taupe can be a great happy medium for those who don’t want to commit to the more drastic warm-cool end of things.

READ MORE

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The 12 Best Whole Home Gray & Greige Paint Colours

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