By Michelle Marceny, Certified Color Expert and founder of The Color Concierge
Learn all about Benjamin Moore Ballet White in this paint color review from the paint color consultants at The Color Concierge.
Benjamin Moore Ballet White is a warm, creamy, off-white paint color perfect for homeowners who don’t want a stark, bright white but still want their home to feel light and airy.
Ballet White has enough pigment to add depth and warmth to a space and works well in dimly lit rooms. The client’s home we’re featuring in today’s post, was pretty dark inside, and Ballet White was the perfect way to bring the interior to life.
Keep reading to learn more about this warm white paint color and determine if it’s the right hue for your home.
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What Color Is Benjamin Moore Ballet White?
Benjamin Moore Ballet White is a soft, muted, and warm very light beige paint color. It’s a creamy hue, but isn’t as yellow as many creamy paint colors. It’s a really lovely choice for the warm beige trends we’re seeing homeowners look for today, which I discus further in the linked article.
What Is the Ballet White LRV?
Ballet White has an LRV of 71.97, which makes it darker than most off-white paint colors but still light-reflecting. The scale goes from 1 (pure black) to 100 (pure white) and indicates how dark or light a color is.
Is Ballet White warm or cool?
Ballet White is definitely a warm paint color, thanks to its undertones. It’s creamy and muted and helps a space feel cozy and inviting.
What are the Ballet White undertones?
Ballet White gets its warmth from green undertones, which give this color a unique hue compared to many other creamy paint colors. However, it shouldn’t look green on the wall.
Does Ballet White look yellow?
No, it doesn’t. This is one of the things that makes Ballet White such a popular paint color. It’s warm without leaning toward yellow, thanks to its green undertones. Even in very warm light, it won’t look yellow.
Does Ballet White look dingy?
Ballet White has enough pigment to stand up to dark shadows in dimly lit rooms as I discuss in the linked article. Its warmth helps ensure it won’t look dingy even in the corners.
Sample BM Ballet White
We always recommend that you test paint colors on your home because lighting can change a color completely, both with interiors as well as exteriors.
I use these in my color consulting practice for exact results. Discover Samplize peel-and-stick paint samples using the link below.
Using Benjamin Moore Ballet White Interior Paint
Benjamin Moore Ballet White is a versatile, creamy paint color ideal for many interior spaces. In the client’s home pictured in this post, we used Ballet White throughout many different spaces, and it worked so beautifully in all of them.
Can I use Ballet White as an interior trim color?
No, it’s not recommended. Ballet White is typically too dark to use as a trim color for any other wall color. While you could consider color-drenching a room (walls, trim, and ceiling), Ballet White looks best when paired with contrasting, brighter white trim as you can see in the linked article.
Are BM Ballet White cabinets a good idea?
Yes! I love the idea of Benjamin Moore Ballet White kitchen cabinets. They’re a great option if you want a light kitchen but are worried your cabinets will look too stark as you can discover in the linked article. It would look fantastic with earthy, warm quartzites. If you want to refresh an older Tuscan kitchen, this color is a good candidate.
Ballet White cabinets would be creamy and lovely, and would pair well with warm quartz countertops or even a granite countertop.
Is Ballet White good for a North-facing room?
Yes! Ballet White is a great paint color for North-facing rooms, which get cool light and tend to be darker than some other exposures, which I discus in the linked article. Ballet White has enough pigment and warmth that it won’t look dingy in these spaces and can help the room feel brighter and cozy.
Should I try a Ballet White living room?
A Ballet White living room is gorgeous, as you can see in the linked article. We painted our client’s formal living room and more casual family room with Ballet White and both spaces look beautiful with this hue.
In the formal living room below, Ballet White walls look really pretty alongside a beige couch with warm throw pillows and warm art and decor on the walls.
The family room is open to the home’s kitchen, which was recently renovated. The client originally tried SW Shoji White in this space. It looked ok, but Ballet White has a much cleaner base and is slightly less muted. Ballet White was the perfect color for this space.
This room featured a really pretty wood accent wall and warm LVP floors. Ballet White looked gorgeous with these warm finishes and the client’s beige curtains, rug and furniture. The couch is a dark brown that also looks lovely in this space.
Does a Benjamin Moore Ballet White bedroom work?
Yes! One of the first projects we did with BM Ballet White was a cozy bedroom makeover for a client, which you can see in more detail in the linked article. We kept the decor, bedding and decor muted and low-contrast, which made a really calming, zen space.
Is Ballet White a good whole-house color?
It could be! Ballet White is a great candidate for a whole-house paint color because it is so versatile. It’s warm without leaning yellow and light without looking dingy.
It’s always important to test any paint colors throughout your home before choosing a whole-house hue, but Ballet White could absolutely work.
Using BM Ballet White Exterior Paint
Benjamin Moore Ballet White exterior paint is really lovely! It has enough pigment that it won’t look washed out or stark even in the bright sunlight.
We love to use Ballet White as an exterior trim color, but it’s also beautiful as a whole-house exterior creamy color. While we don’t have a client photo of Ballet White exterior paint to show, it works very similarly to SW Neutral Ground, which is pictured as the “white” trim color on the home below.
On another client’s home, Neutral Ground exterior paint is used on the siding and garage alongside warm brick and looks absolutely beautiful. BM Ballet White would work in a similar application.
The Best BM Ballet White Coordinating Colors
Benjamin Moore Ballet White works best with other warm paint colors, from beige and warm grays to warm black, natural wood, greens and even reds.
Does Ballet White go with black?
Ballet White looks gorgeous alongside black accents and finishes. The home’s entryway is a great example of this. The homeowners added a new, dark railing to the stairs and had coordinating black decor on the stairway walls. It’s a modern, cozy take on a classic black and white palette.
Does Ballet White go with red?
Ballet White looks really pretty paired with reds and burgundies. In our client’s home, the formal family room featured pillows and art with deep red and burgundy hues, and Ballet White was a great backdrop for these colors.
The homeowner used a similar color combination in their home’s entryway and it looks just as lovely there.
Does Ballet White go with green?
Green goes really well with Ballet White, especially muted sage green paint colors as you can see in this linked article. Our client’s dining room is a great example of this. We treated the dining room as an accent room and painted it with Benjamin Moore Saybrook Sage.
We picked BM Saybrook Sage because it was such a natural-looking color and it really complemented Ballet White beautifully.
What are the Best Trim and Ceiling Colors For Ballet White?
In our client’s house, we painted the ceilings and the trim with Benjamin Moore Oxford White – a super clean, neutral white paint color, as you can see in this linked article. The ceilings were a flat sheen and trim was painted with a satin sheen.
Other clean white paint colors can also work well with Ballet White walls, such as BM Chantilly Lace, SW Extra White or SW High Reflective White.
Best BM Ballet White Alternatives
Not sure if Ballet White is the right color for your project? See how it compares to other warm white and light beige paint colors.
BM Ballet White vs BM Swiss Coffee
I consider Ballet White a darker version of Swiss Coffee. They have the same green undertones, but Swiss Coffee is lighter with an LRV of 81.91, as you can see in the linked article.
BM Ballet White vs SW Shoji White
Ballet White and Shoji White are very similar, as you can see in the linked article, but Shoji White is more muted. Ballet White has a cleaner base, so it has less gray and looks much cleaner in place. Shoji White is also a bit lighter than Ballet White, with an LRV of 74. Overall, Ballet White is much prettier. I’m not sure how to explain this, but to me, Ballet White has a richer color and look than Shoji White.
BM Ballet White vs BM Pale Oak
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak is darker than Ballet White, with an LRV of 68.64, which I detail in the linked article. It also looks cooler than Ballet White in place, with soft taupe undertones rather than green ones. When you place Pale Oak next to finishes with green undertones, It can go pink unlinke Ballet White.
BM Ballet White vs SW Alabaster
Sherwin-Williams Alabaster is much lighter than BM Ballet White, with an LRV of 82, as you can see in the linked article. While Alabaster is warm with yellow undertones, it’s more muted than Ballet White.
BM Ballet White vs BM Edgecomb Gray
Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray is significantly darker than Ballet White, with an LRV of 63.09, as you can see in the linke article. Edgecomb Gray has similar warm green undertones but looks a bit cooler than Ballet White.
BM Ballet White vs BM Manchester Tan
Manchester Tan is a darker version of Ballet White. The two colors have very similar warm green undertones but Manchester Tan is darker, with an LRV of 63.24, as you can see in the linked article.
BM Ballet White vs SW Neutral Ground
Ballet White and Neutral Ground are very similar paint colors and can be used in similar applications. Neutral Ground is just slightly darker than Ballet White, with an LRV of 70 as you can see in the linked article.
What Is the Best Sherwin-Williams Ballet White Alternative?
There are a few Sherwin-Williams paint colors that can work as Ballet White alternatives: SW Neutral Ground, SW Oyster White, and SW Natural Choice. Based on LRV, Sherwin-Williams Natural Choice is the closest match. Although Ballet White has the lower/darker LRV than Natural Choice, it looks lighter because it’s so much cleaner due to its white base.
Key Learning Points
Benjamin Moore Ballet White is a warm, creamy paint color that sits between a light beige and an off-white. It’s a popular choice for interiors and exteriors.
- Benjamin Moore Ballet White has green undertones, which keep the color warm without leaning toward yellow.
- Ballet White looks great with other warm colors, such as greens, warm blues and reds. It also looks really nice with natural wood tones.
- For exteriors, Ballet White is a good option for a “white” trim color or a light, neutral siding color.
Remember: NEVER, EVER use paint matches from a different brand than the one specified. Results are poor and there are no standards for the sheens. Even though your painter may truly believe it can be done, don’t do it. See results from paint matching here.
No matter what, always test your paint colors. It’s a standard best practice. Whenever I test my paint colors, they are perfect, and when I don’t test they turn out wrong. Learn how to test your paint colors here.
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Related Posts
- Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground Color Review
- Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Color Review
- Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan Color Review
- Best White Paint Colors for Dark Rooms
About the Author
Hi, I’m Michelle Marceny, founder, owner, and Principal Color Designer at The Color Concierge. I believe a fresh coat of paint can completely transform a space. The Color Concierge was born out of my drive to help clients fall back in love with their homes. My clients trust me to help them find the perfect paint color — whether that’s a whole-house color scheme or ideas for a single room.
Since founding The Color Concierge in 2017, my team and I have completed 1,000s of color consultations, online and in person. I’m a Certified Color Expert with nine years of experience creating interior and exterior color palettes throughout North America.
Every color review on this site comes from colors we’ve specified in real homes and photographed on location during our own consultations — not from a fan deck or a manufacturer’s website.
We love your comments! Please note that the blog is meant as general advice, and it is not possible to give out specific answers to your paint questions. If you want more specific advice, please consider purchasing a color consultation. Thank you for your understanding.
