Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
Gray Owl OC-52 or 2137-60 by Benjamin Moore is a really beautiful gray that works in any lighting situation, but in its full strength it can have strong undertones. See it in real homes, including ours!
PAINT COLORS
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
If you’re looking for a soft grey paint color, Benjamin Moore Gray Owl may be exactly what you’re looking for. Let’s talk about it!
What Color is Benjamin Moore Gray Owl OC-52?
Gray Owl OC-52 is a very neutral gray paint color that can work to help brighten spaces that don’t have a lot of natural light.
Gray Owl is also a popular paint color that many people lighten by 75 or 50%.
When you lighten a paint color, you remove the same percentage of each color from its mixture. Many people think you just add more white in the mix, but that’s not the case.
Our guest bathroom is painted Benjamin Moore Gray Owl lightened by 50% and it’s perfect. You can still tell that it’s gray, but since this room doesn’t have natural light, it helps brighten up the space a bit.
Gray Owl is actually in 2 of Benjamin Moore’s paint collections so you may see it as Gray Owl OC-52 or like you see on this sample swatch card, it’s 2137-60.
You definitely will want to see this on your walls in your specific space and if you don’t want to paint a sample on your wall, this would be the perfect time to try Samplize.
They offer giant peel and stick samples of paint swatches from Sherwin Williams, PPG, Ben Moore and Farrow and Ball that you can add to your wall so you can spend a little bit of money once instead of a lot of money on multiple samples.
What Undertones Does Benjamin Moore Gray Owl Have?
Although Gray Owl is a neutral gray paint color, it does have some greenish blue undertones.
They’re very subtle, but I can see subtle green undertones on our guest bathroom walls, even though we have it lightened by 50%.
When we redid our primary bathroom in the most budget friendly way, we painted it Benjamin Moore Gray Owl too.
Our teal vanity brings out some of the green, sometimes blue undertones which is what makes this a cool paint color but it’s still not so overbearing that it doesn’t read gray.
If the paint were at its full strength, it would be darker on our walls and probably show more of its undertones, especially in this bathroom.
Gray Owl LRV
The LRV, or Light Reflectance Value, of a paint color is on a sliding scale of 1 to 100.
The closer a color is to 0, the closer it is to black which means it won’t reflect light well or at all.
The close a color is to 100, the closer it is to white which means it will reflect light very well.
I made this (super non professional) graphic to hopefully help you understand if you’re more of a visual learner.
Gray Owl has an LRV of 64.51, which means it’s going to show up lighter on your walls even in darker rooms with not a lot of natural light, which makes it perfect for rooms without windows like hallways, bathrooms, or even closets.
Gray Owl Coordinating Colors
Benjamin Moore always provides its picks for coordinating colors with their paint colors.
While those are typically great choices, I always like to take a look at the paint deck fan and choose some other options I would (or have) paired it with.
Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron
Because of its versatility, Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron is an incredible option for pairing with Gray Owl.
Wrought Iron can work with warm or cool tones, and adds a level of depth and elegance to a space, even in an exterior home combination.
Looking specifically for a gray for your bedroom? See our favorite calming gray paint colors for your bedroom!
Benjamin Moore White Dove
At the top of this paint strip is one of Benjamin Moore’s most popular creamy paint color – White Dove.
It’s a softer warm white that can pair well with Gray Owl, even though it’s cool. Having White Dove as trim color and using Gray Owl as a wall color could be a really nice option.
Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray
Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray has quickly become one of my absolute favorite paint colors. It’s a stunning, calming blue and would pair very nicely with Benjamin Moore Gray Owl, especially if you lightened it 50-75%.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl in Real Spaces
*Sources for each image are linked under the photo. For more information on the space, visit the provided link.
Entryway/Hallways
Dining Room
Kitchen (Walls)
Living Room
Bedroom
Nursery
Office/Flex Room
Home Exterior
Trim Color Choices for Gray Owl
Gray Owl can have either a crisp white or creamy white, depending on the look you’re going for. You just need to be careful with your creamy white trims that it doesn’t clash with the blue green undertones that Gray Owl has. Here are my top 2 picks for Gray Owl trim colors:
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
This color is a clean, bright white that would work great on doors and window trim.
White Dove would be a great option for trim if you’re looking for a more traditional look or feel.
Benjamin Moore Simply White
BM Simply White is a more crisp white, but doesn’t make your trim feel too cold or sterile.
It’s a great choice for a more modern feel.
Gray Owl Equivalents In Other Popular Brands
Sherwin Williams Equivalent to Gray Owl
Color matching paint colors, especially when you cross brands are never going to be exact. Each brand has its own special nuanced formulas for creating colors.
Side by side, here’s a look at BM Gray Owl versus its Sherwin Williams equivalent, Silverpointe.
| BM GRAY OWL | SW SILVERPOINTE | |
|---|---|---|
| LRV | 64.51 | 64 |
| UNDERTONES | Blue/green | Blue/green |
| WARM OR COOL | Cool | Cool |
Although it’s the same LRV, Silverpointe is a good comparison, but because its RGB values are different, if you lighten it, it may look different than Gray Owl.
Behr Equivalent to Gray Owl
The closest Behr equivalent to Gray Owl is Whitewash Oak, but I can definitely see more differences in this color compared to Gray Owl. Here’s a quick look at a glance:
| BM GRAY OWL | BEHR SCULPTOR CLAY | |
|---|---|---|
| LRV | 64.51 | 58 |
| UNDERTONES | Blue/green | Neutral |
| WARM OR COOL | Cool | Warm |
Behr Sculptor Clay is the darkest out of all 3 comparison colors and it also has a bit more obvious undertones than the Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams option.
Final Thoughts
Gray Owl is excellent choice for an overall paint color or could even be great for cabinets or trim. You’ll just want to beware of its tricky little undertones.
If you’re wanting to try color but are scared of a bolder choice like Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog or Behr Black Bamboo, Gray Owl could be the perfect jumping off point.
