Benjamin Moore Boothbay GrayHC-165 · #9CA9AF · LRV 36

Boothbay Gray leans cool, with a blue undertone that tips slightly toward green. At 11 percent saturation it is a muted color rather than a near-neutral: you will always see some blue in it, but the blue is softened, like denim left in the sun. The green side of the undertone shows most in warm afternoon light and next to warm woods, where the color can read faintly seafoam. In cool light or beside crisp whites, the blue dominates and it looks like a classic coastal gray-blue.

Test it against what will sit next to it. Hold a sample beside your trim white: next to a warm cream, Boothbay Gray looks bluer; next to a stark white, it looks softer and grayer. Also check it against your flooring, since orange-toned wood floors push the blue-green forward. If you want to confirm the lean, tape it next to a plain gray of similar depth and the blue-green cast becomes obvious.

With an LRV of 36, Boothbay Gray reflects about a third of the light that hits it, so the room's exposure decides a lot. In north-facing rooms the cool light amplifies the blue and the color reads darker and moodier, closer to a slate. That can be exactly what you want in a bedroom, but sample first if the room is small and dim.

South-facing rooms flood it with warm light and lift it noticeably: the color brightens, the green side peeks out, and it feels breezier and more coastal. East-facing rooms get that lifted look in the morning and the moodier version by evening; west-facing rooms do the reverse.

Bulbs matter as much as windows. Warm bulbs around 2700K soften the blue and nudge it gray-green; cool daylight bulbs around 4000K and up sharpen the blue. Check your sample at night under the bulbs you actually own.

An LRV of 36 makes Boothbay Gray a genuine all-rounder. It is dark enough to give a room presence on all four walls, yet light enough that it will not close in an average-sized space. Bedrooms are its signature use: the muted blue reads restful, and the mid-tone depth makes white bedding and trim pop.

It also earns its reputation outside. On siding it holds up in full sun without washing out the way lighter grays do, and it pairs naturally with white trim and a dark door. Exterior colors read a step lighter in daylight, so what looks mid-tone on a chip looks fresher on a house.

Inside, it works on cabinetry and built-ins if you want color without commitment to navy, and on a home office or bathroom where a calm, focused feel helps. It is too deep to behave like a whole-home neutral in dark hallways, so keep it to rooms with real light.

For trim, White Dove OC-17 is the safest partner. Its LRV of 85 gives clean contrast against the mid-tone walls, and its soft, slightly warm character keeps the pairing from feeling icy. If you want a brighter, crisper edge, especially on an exterior, step up to Chantilly Lace OC-65 at LRV 92.

As a second wall color for adjacent rooms, Edgecomb Gray HC-173 works well: at LRV 63 it is a much lighter warm neutral, so the two rooms feel related without matching, and its warmth balances Boothbay Gray's coolness. For an accent that stays in the same water-and-fog family, Palladian Blue HC-144 at LRV 53 reads as the lighter, greener cousin.

For a front door or an island against Boothbay Gray siding or cabinets, Hale Navy HC-154 at LRV 6 delivers deep contrast within the same blue family. Brushed nickel and matte black hardware both suit it; warm oak and walnut keep the cool palette from feeling cold.

Benjamin Moore has a cluster of blue-grays near this color, and the differences are real but subtle. Pilgrim Haze 2132-50, at LRV 38, is a touch lighter and slightly less saturated, so it reads a little grayer and quieter on the wall. Choose Pilgrim Haze for a dimmer room where Boothbay Gray might feel heavy, and Boothbay Gray when you want the blue to actually register.

New Hope Gray 2130-50, LRV 39, shifts the balance toward true blue with less of the green cast. In warm afternoon light it stays bluer where Boothbay Gray drifts toward gray-green. If you love the periwinkle side of blue-gray, New Hope Gray favors you; if you want the seaglass side, stay with Boothbay Gray.

Silver Spring 2120-50, LRV 40, is the most neutral of the three, a lighter silvery gray with only a hint of blue. It suits people who want almost no color; Boothbay Gray suits people who want the color to be the point.