Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart Color Review

Learn all about Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart in this color review (Sample Here).  This soft black paint color with subtle deep blue undertones is a beautiful option for exteriors with red brick or warm stone colors.  It looks much brighter outside than on the page. It’s too blue to be black and too black to be gray.  It is complex and beautiful.  It changes in the light, all day long.

This color is also an excellent option for interior accents.  It’s pretty dark so should be used in rooms with tons of light.

Please note that all the photos in this post are from Color Concierge projects.

Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart
Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart

About The Color Concierge

*This post contains affiliate links for products I use and love. If you click on some links and make a purchase, I will get a small commission at no cost to you. This helps pay for the costs of the blog, so I can continue to offer great content to our readers. I don’t get compensation from any of the paint companies for my color reviews.

LRV of Cheating Heart

The LRV of Cheating Heart is 6.9, which makes it a soft black that will look like a dark charcoal with rare flashes of blue. LRV (Light Reflectance Value) is a measurement used to identify how light or dark a color is.  The scale goes from 1 (pure black) to 100 (pure white) and indicates how dark or light a color is.

Cheating Heart for Exteriors

Red brick house with Cheating Heart black paint color
Photo by C. Black

This palette is super simple.  It’s the Cheating Heart paint color, and nothing else.  We recommend this color with either black windows, or paintable windows.  White vinyl windows would look harsh and discordant.

And check out this transformation!  The previous color was perfectly fine, but the new soft black color elevated the design.  We tried several darker black paint colors, but for this design, the softness of Cheating Heart was perfect.

Photo by C. Black
Red brick house with Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart paint color
Photo by C. Black

This was the back, after and before.

Photo by C. Black

We even painted the gutters and the downspouts the same color as the body.  The homeowner took it an extra step further and painted the back porch ceilings Cheating Heart.  It looks intentional and amazing!

Back porch with Cheating Heart ceiling
Photo by C. Black

 

Back porch with Cheating Heart Ceiling
Photo by C. Black

Sample BM Cheating Heart

We always recommend that you test paint colors (article) in your home because lighting can completely change a color, both on interiors and exteriors.  

In the old days, this meant we painted a large poster board with sample pots and a huge mess. 

Now we have a better way to test paint, with Samplize Peel-and-Stick samples!  

  • Samples pre-painted with 2 coats of real paint from the manufacturer.
  • Large 9” x 14” samples to see the color better in the lighting.
  • Delivered overnight
  • Colors are accurate
  • Less expensive than painting a large poster board with sample pots
  • No mess, and no toxic paint to dispose of

I use these in my color consulting practice for exact results. Discover Samplize peel-and-stick paint samples and sample BM White Dove via the link below.

What are the Best Exterior White Trim Colors for Cheating Heart?

*This post contains affiliate links for products I use and love.  If you click on some links and make a purchase, I get a small commission at no cost to you.  This helps pay for the blog costs so I can continue to offer great content to our readers.

What are the Best Exterior White Trim Colors for Cheating Heart?

The black monochromatic palette looks amazing in this project, but if you want “white” trim I would stick with white trim colors with an LRV between 70 and 75.  We like SW Egret White (LRV=70) , but also Oyster White or Pearly White.  A very light white would have been too stark a contrast.

TIP:  When using dark paint colors consider a warmer white or light greige so that the contrast doesn’t look too stark.  Check out the sweet diamond accent on the peak!  We often see those on houses painted the same color as the roofline.

Best front Door and Shutter Colors with Cheating Heart and Red Brick

We loved repeating the same color for this monochromatic palette.  You could also try a very dark black such as BM Onyx for a very slight contrast, or a dark green-gray like BM Kendall Charcoal.

Cheating Heart for Interiors

This paint color is best as an accent, or a wall color in a small rooms with tons of natural or artificial light and lots of white trim and surfaces. I am a sucker for an office with black walls because its restful if you are on a computer for a long time.

If you don’t have enough light, it will look black.  Don’t forget to test your paint colors!

Best Interior White Trim & Ceiling Colors with Cheating Heart

Use warmer whites such as BM Swiss Coffee, BM Cloud White, or BM White Dove.  If you pick a trim color that is too creamy, it can start to look yellow.

When To Avoid Cheating Heart

For interiors, avoid in rooms with low light unless you have LOTS of natural light or artificial lighting.  For exteriors its pretty versatile, but as always you should always test your paint colors.

Can I use Cheating Heart for Cabinets?

You can absolutely use this color for cabinets.  If you want to use it for both upper and lower cabinets, make sure that you install soft white countertops and a white backsplash to keep the look light and balanced.  You can also use it as a lower cabinet with white upper cabinets.  Ideally, the upper cabinet white should be the same as your white trim color.

What is the easiest way to test Cheating Heart?

We always recommend that you test paint colors in your house because lighting can change a color completely. 

In the old days, this meant we painted a large poster board with sample pots and a huge mess.

Now we have SAMPLIZE, 9X14″ Pre-Painted peel-and-stick paint samples.  Check out the SAMPLIZE website HERE.

Comparisons with Other Black Paint Colors

Cheating Heart vs. Wrought Iron

Wrought Iron is the darker paint color.  They are both soft blacks with blue undertones, but Cheating Heart will look bluer outside.

Cheating Heart vs. Hale Navy

Although they both have blue undertones, Hale Navy is the darker color and a deep rich blue outside.

SW Peppercorn vs. Cheating Heart

Peppercorn is pretty different – it is much lighter and has violet undertones.  They would read pretty similarly, though.

Which Sherwin-Williams Colors are like Cheating Heart?

Sherwin-Williams doesn’t have any colors that are close to Cheating Heart, and it is very difficult to copy because of its subtle undertones.    If you want a Sherwin-Williams color, you will need to compromise.

Learn more about matching paint colors here.

Key Learning Points – Cheating Heart

Benjamin Moore’s Cheating Heart is a complex charcoal-ish black with blue undertones. It’s too blue to be black and too black to be gray.  It is complex and beautiful.  It changes in the light, all day long.  It’s gorgeous with red brick outside and friendly as an interior accent in a room with tons of light.

No matter what, don’t forget to 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. We love to test with SAMPLIZE peel-and-stick samples.  Check out the SAMPLIZE website HERE.

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.

Online Color Consulting

Still looking for the perfect paint color?  Discover our ONLINE COLOR CONSULTATIONS!

Shop Consults Color Consult Graphic

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BM Newburg Green Color Review

The Best Blue Paint Colors for Exteriors

Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore Color Review


About the Author

Michelle Marceny, principal designer and founder of The Color Concierge, a paint color consulting company in Denver, Colorado.

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 for their home – whether it’s a whole-house paint color scheme or ideas for a single room. 

Since The Color Concierge was founded in 2017, we have completed over 3000 color consultations, both online and in-person.  I am a Certified Color Expert with 7 years of experience creating interior and exterior color palettes throughout North America.


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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, our Online Color Consultations will help you pick your paint colors. Thank you for your understanding. 

One Response

  1. Thank you for the great article addressing red brick. Great ideas! Have always been drawn to the old red brick but when it comes to interior and exterior colors that work I’m at a loss.

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Meet Michelle

Driven to help clients fall back in love with their homes with intentional paint color schemes. She started the company based on her passion for color and its ability to make a house a home.

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