
Name: Coastal Fog AC-1
Brand: Benjamin Moore
Why would anyone with a color column write so frequently about grey? I think it's important to point out the subtle beauty of a seemingly random neutral as an element within a larger design scheme. When used deliberately it can be an essential component in a smartly colorful room.
Coastal Fog is perhaps what my friend Benjamin would call French grey, or a warm grey like wet cement. Look at how well it plays along with the green chair, the tchotchkes on the table, the crisp black lines of the wrought iron and the color in the poster — it's elegant and simple.
Grey should not be equated with a garbage dumpster or the inside of a service elevator. In this instance, I like to think it feels like something Le Corbusier might have chosen, and is elevated above what is commonplace. This may not be as exciting as crimson, but I love it anyway.
- Mark Chamberlain, interior and decorative painter
MORE GRAY PAINT
• Classic Gray Paint: Silver Fox by Benjamin Moore
• Do It Yourself: Painting the Apartment
• Do It Yourself: Priming & Painting the Apartment
• Good Questions: Gray Paint Recommendation?
• Color Gallery: Gorgeous Dark Gray Walls
• Paint: Finding The Perfect Gray
(ReEdited from 2008-02-26 - AA)
I like it too!
view Rebecca_J's profile
I do like the French Gray. Prefer it over the cool or cold gray. A delightful neutral that provides a subtle, natural background for most colors. It's cooler than a tan or beige, and warmer than the cool grays. A better choice as a whole-house neutral for warm and hot climates. Nice find, Mark!
view #9's profile
I had it in my condo with accents of Texas Leather (2 shades darker). Loved it.
view citipearl's profile
Loooove grey! I recently used Chelsea Grey from Benjamin Moore and it seems to change constantly with the light. So it's never boring!!
view GreatFriend's profile
The recent AT obsession over grey walls is a bit lost on me, I'm afraid.
view lilcafe's profile
Mmmm. Don't like that colour. Looks like dirty bathwater to me!
view mjr's profile
Love the color!
I'm in the process of painting my bedroom walls in Ralph Lauren's Architectural Cream. In my room it looks like a khaki gray, lighter than the one above. I love it. It feels warm and cozy and dreamy.
view magicsbm's profile
I have it in mu living room for 5 years and it is coming close to end. It a nice color if you have light color or bright colors but if you furniture is neutral (ours), it starts to look to dark and even close to bland.
view chicity1126's profile
Liking it and considering it for my (mainly yellow) kitchen.
view mirandabee's profile
Farrow & Ball's Light Gray is a very similar warm gray, almost a greige.
view ChrisToronto's profile
Certainly a better choice for folks who are color-phobic than beige or off-white!
view bepsf's profile
I adore it. It's such a rich, assuring color with a lot of warmth. I'd add a touch of glaze for more depth without changing the hue or value.
view medusa12120's profile
In the mid 90s, at a local holiday open house I was struck by the host's rich medium gray walls in the main living area. Filed it away, and reproduced it in our home's hallways several years ago...it makes for a very smooth transition room to room.
view muirwoods08's profile
lilcafe, I was going to say the same thing. I look at that picture and feel forlorn and sad. Part of it is the underwhelming decor and the empty wall, but the color just sucks the life out of the room.
view sally305's profile
I recently painted with Benjamin Moore Feather Gray, and it's gorgeous. Depending on the light, it can look sort of blue or silver, and it's just such a soft shade, like a bird's wing.
view kathyh76's profile
I went to my local Ben Moore today and saw a paint chip for this... waaaaay different than I had imagined -- much more taupe-y than gray, to my eye. So now I'm looking at something more along the lines of their pale smoke, or silvery moon, or sidewalk gray, or ... ?
view mirandabee's profile
Like the color of the wall but do not like fake swan chair!
view nycity's profile