Learn all about Benjamin Moore Pale Oak in this color review (Sample Here). This light greige color is soft and lovely. It is a versatile neutral that looks great in a bright or dark room. Soft taupe undertones let it pair well with just about any type of light.
Pale Oak is really nice with warm wood furniture and floors, and a great way to brighten a home that was previously painted with dark Tuscan colors. So much of the tile installed during that era has taupe undertones, and Pale Oak can pair perfectly with those colors. I also like Pale Oak for rooms that have lots of foliage outside – the warm taupe tones neutralize the green colors that can reflect through the windows.
Because of its high LRV, some consider this color a darker white, but I see it as a very light greige. This greige paint color definitely leans toward the warm. It looks great in challenging North-facing light conditions. Pale Oak is warm and friendly. Although I don’t have it in my home, I really like it and I recommend Pale Oak frequently to friends and family!
All the photos in this post are Color Concierge projects. None of the photos are color edited.
What is the LRV of Pale Oak?
The LRV of Pale Oak is 69, which makes it a very light greige, that can read like a cream without yellow undertones. Benjamin Moore just updated their website and I noticed that some of their LRVs changed by one or two points. Benjamin Moore had the LRV at 70 before. Darker versions would be BM Elmira White or BM Cedar Key. The scale goes from 1 (pure black) to 100 (pure white) and indicates how dark or light a color is.
When should I use Pale Oak?
Use Pale Oak in similar settings with North facing light, warm wood finishes, and when you have crisp whites and matching stone or quartz countertops. It also can look fabulous in houses with very earthy Tuscan tile and granite countertops with taupe undertones. It also looks fabulous with bright South-facing light.
This house was one of our online consults, and it turned out beautifully! We paired it with BM White Dove trim and ceilings because she had really earthy tile on her kitchen floor.
Which Colors Look Best with Pale Oak?
Taupes look fabulous with blues of any shade. Pair Pale Oak with saturated blues, blue-grays and saturated greens.
Here is Pale Oak on the walls with BM Mount Saint Anne as an accent wall. It looks so good! And that stained glass window is so pretty. This is the home of a very close friend of mine! We used BM Oxford White for the trim and ceiling color.
I also like the way it looks with this rust accent color that we used to pick up one of the colors in the beautiful globe.
When should I avoid Pale Oak?
Don’t pair Pale Oak with green-gray paint colors such as BM Revere Pewter, BM Edgecomb Gray or SW Agreeable Gray. The taupe can look pink when contrasted with a neutral color that has green undertones. It can also look discordant with yellow or yellow-beige paint colors. Although we like Pale Oak with earthy Tuscan finishes, it can look pink if the tile has a green undertone.
Can I use Pale Oak as an Interior “White” Trim Color?
Pale Oak is usually too dark to use as a “white” trim color, although there are exceptions.
What are the Best Trim and Ceiling Colors For Pale Oak?
I prefer to use this paint color with clean or bright off-whites such as Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace, BM Oxford White, or SW Pure White. I also like BM White Dove with Pale Oak, especially if the tile and other hard finishes are very earthy. Blue-whites such as SW Extra White or BM Decorator’s White are ok but not my first choice because they can look harsh, but they can work. Warmer off-whites and creams such as BM Swiss Coffee won’t have enough contrast to bring this color to light. Whites with strong yellow undertones such as BM Simply White or BM Snowfall White are not my favorites with this color because the yellow can look funky with this undertone.
This bedroom had RED Tuscan walls before we painted it. Pale Oak is soft, harmonious, and lovely here!
What is the easiest way to sample Pale Oak?
We always recommend that you test paint colors in your house because lighting can change the way a color looks 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.
Can I use Pale Oak for Cabinets?
You can use Pale Oak for cabinets, especially if your countertops or backsplash have matching taupe undertones. This neutral can look great with earthy granite countertops, where it looks like a soft white without the harshness of a brighter white.
Can I use Pale Oak for Exteriors?
Pale Oak is a great neutral color for exterior white trim, especially with darker colors. It will look like a soft white without harshness. It also makes a great whole-house white paint color, especially in a heavily wooded lot, where the warm Taupe undertones will neutralize the green tones from foliage.
Comparisons With Other Greige Colors
Limewash vs. Pale Oak
Limewash is slightly lighter, but Pale Oak is cleaner and cooler. Limewash can look fleshier in low light, and is part of the Sherwin-Williams Emerald Designer Edition Collection. Both of these paint colors have Taupe undertones. Limewash is THE closest Sherwin paint color to Pale Oak, except ever-slightly warmer.
City Loft vs. Pale Oak
SW City Loft is a violet gray with warmer and pinker undertones than Pale Oak. I would frequently use them in similar settings but Pale Oak is cleaner and cooler.
Balboa Mist vs. Pale Oak
Pale Oak and Balboa Mist are similar colors, but they will look pretty different in a room. Balboa is warmer with violet undertones, and Pale Oak will look more muted and gray. They are both beautiful!
Fog Mist vs. Pale Oak
These two colors have the same taupe undertones and are almost identical! If you want a color with more warmth pick Fog Mist.
Collingwood vs. Pale Oak
Once you see them together, these colors are very different. Collingwood is a violet gray and Pale Oak is a lighter taupe greige. They are both beautiful! Pick the color that looks the best with your decor. Usually if Pale Oak looks great then Collingwood will fall flat.
Which Sherwin-Williams Colors are like Benjamin Moore Pale Oak?
As mentioned above, the very closest is Sherwin-Williams Limewash from the Emerald Designer Edition Collection. Limewash will give you the same look and feel as Pale Oak, even though they are not identical.
Learn more about matching paint colors here.
The Verdict
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak is a gorgeous light greige with soft taupe undertones. It is most commonly used as a wall color and can look like a cream color without looking yellow. It is a warm and friendly neutral wall color.
No matter what, don’t forget to test your paint colors. 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.
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One Response
I have BM pale oak kitchen walls and am so frustrated trying to pick a light to medium gray for cabinets. Floor is light wood, light comes from west window, quartz countertops with grey. About to give up and keep oak cabinets!