Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover (OC-25, 855) is an off-white paint color with violet undertones that has enough pigment to never look stark.
This soft off-white looks lovely with taupe accents or hard finishes, as well as violet gray colors like BM Balboa Mist (Article) or even BM Collingwood (Article).
It looks fantastic in rooms with tons of light but can also look great in a darker room with shadows. It looks great in a room with north-facing light.
The gorgeous Houston home featured in this review was new to the owners and they renovated the whole house before they moved in. Cloud Cover was the predominant whole-house wall color (in an eggshell sheen).
The following was the before photo. The dated slate tile floors were replaced with a gorgeous LVP floor. Pinning disabled for the “Before” photo.
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What Color is Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover?
Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover is an off-white paint color that looks especially beautiful in rooms with lots of light. It’s a color I reach for often in my practice.
What is the BM Cloud Cover LRV?
BM Cloud Cover (Sample) has an LRV of 80.28, which makes it a soft white bordering on a light greige. LRV is short for Light Reflectance Value, which is a measurement of how light (LRV=100) or dark (LRV=0) a color is.
What are the Cloud Cover undertones?
This off-white paint color has invisible violet undertones. These undertones help it pair with many other paint colors and work well in both well-lit and darker spaces.
Is Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover warm or cool?
For Cloud Cover, warm or cool is a relative answer. For example, it’s cooler than White Dove, but warmer than Decorator’s White. It could be a great option if you want to update and warm up a home filled with cool violet gray tones and are looking for something warmer that will still pair with your existing hard finishes.
Sample BM Cloud Cover
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 Cloud Cover via the link below.
Using BM Cloud Cover Interior Paint
You can use Cloud Cover in just about any room, but it really shines in North-facing rooms, rooms with wood trim, or in rooms that have shadows. It is fabulous in rooms with lots of sunshine, too.
What kind of finishes look best with BM Cloud Cover?
It looks best in houses with modern finishes, and especially with white quartz because its undertones are very similar to most quartz whites. It doesn’t look great with very warm beiges, although it can look fantastic with taupe colors.
Is Cloud Cover a good open-concept paint color?
Yes, absolutely! Cloud Cover, as with other off-whites and light greige colors, is a great tool to enhance architectural details. In the picture below, you can see how the color helps accentuate the different spaces within this open-concept living and dining room.
Is Cloud Cover a good whole-house paint color?
Yes, we love to recommend Cloud Cover as the foundation for a whole-house color palette. It pairs well with many different kinds of colors and finishes, and can work in rooms with many different kinds of light.
It’s also a great balance between a white paint color and greige, keeping a space light and bright without looking too stark.
Using Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover Exterior Paint
If you are looking for a crisp white exterior, Cloud Cover is fantastic because it’s a darker white than expected. It looks best as a “white” body color, or a trim color if you are looking for a very bright option. Remember that colors look 4-5 times brighter outside, so this color will keep from looking harsh.
BM Cloud Cover Coordinating Colors
Cloud Cover’s violet undertones make it very versatile. It works with other neutral hues with violet undertones, but can also pair well with blues, greens and cooler white paint colors.
Does BM Cloud Cover go with other neutrals?
I love to pair Cloud Cover with other greige hues with violet undertones, such as Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist, Benjamin Moore Collingwood and cool pinks like Benjamin Moore First Light (Articles). It also pairs well with a clean white like Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace or Benjamin Moore Oxford White, especially when they’re used as trim and ceiling colors.
Does BM Cloud Cover go with blue?
Yes! Cool, coastal blues are especially lovely with this color. Benjamin Moore Britannia Blue (Article) or Benjamin Moore Van Courtland blue would both look really beautiful paired with Cloud Cover.
Does BM Cloud Cover go with green?
Cloud Cover and green paint colors work really well together. I love the idea of pairing Cloud Cover with Benjamin Moore Rosepine, a cool muted green hue. I also think it would balance nicely with a warmer, lighter green like BM Spanish Olive.
What are the best trim and ceiling colors to pair with Cloud Cover?
This photo shows Cloud Cover walls and BM Oxford White trim (satin sheen), brick columns and fireplace (flat), and ceiling (ultra-flat). I love the way the homeowner decorated with warm wood finishes and a new LVP floor.
We recommend clean whites for the trim and ceiling such as BM Chantilly Lace (Article) or BM Oxford White. Also, consider off-whites that are lighter than Cloud Cover such as BM Snowfall White and BM Cloud White (Article). I like to use matching trim and ceiling whites in a room, lighter than the wall color.
For trim and ceilings, don’t use blue-white colors such as BM White Diamond or BM Decorator’s White (Article) because they are too cool and will look discordant with Cloud Cover. Cloud Cover is tricky – it looks cool, but it’s warmer than you think.
We do not recommend whites with heavy yellow undertones with Cloud Cover. BM White Dove, BM Simply White and BM Swiss Coffee (Articles) will look very yellow as trim and ceilings when paired with Cloud Cover walls.
When should I avoid Cloud Cover?
Cloud Cover should not be used as a trim and ceiling color because it’s too dark. The only exception would be if you’re using it as the wall, trim and ceiling color for a monochromatic white color drench.
Best BM Cloud Cover Alternatives
Compare Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover with other off-white and light greige paint colors.
BM Cloud Cover vs BM Cloud White
Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover and Benjamin Moore Cloud White (Article) have very similar names, but are actually very different. Cloud White is a good deal lighter than Cloud Cover, with an LRV of 85. It is also much warmer and creamier than Cloud Cover, with taupe undertones.
BM Cloud Cover vs SW Origami White
Sherwin-Williams Origami White (Sample) is a pretty close match to BM Cloud Cover but it’s much darker, with an LRV of 76. Origami White also has subtle violet undertones, so it provides a similar look as Cloud Cover. Despite the differences, I’d consider Origami White to be the closest Sherwin-Williams match for Cloud Cover.
BM Cloud Cover vs BM White Dove
Benjamin Moore White Dove (Article) is one of our favorite creamy off-white paint colors to recommend to our clients. It’s lighter than Cloud Cover, with an LRV of 83. It’s also warmer, with strong yellow undertones.
BM Cloud Cover vs SW Intense White
Benjamin Moore Intense White (Article) is a slightly darker version of BM Cloud Cover. It has an LRV of 73 and subtle violet undertones. It looks a bit cooler in place than BM Cloud Cover.
BM Cloud Cover vs SW City Loft
Sherwin-Williams City Loft (Sample) is a similar, but darker version of BM Cloud Cover. It has an LRV of 70 and also has stronger violet undertones, so it looks warmer.
Can my painter match Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover to Sherwin-Williams?
The answer is NO. Not unless you want your house painted light green. That’s what seems to happen when they try to match. Instead, consider SW Origami White as a SW replacement for BM Cloud Cover.
Learn more about matching paint colors here.
Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Looks fantastic in rooms with lots of light but can still work in rooms with shadows
- Really shines in North-facing rooms with cool light
- Great color to enhance architectural details of a room
- A great off-white to pair with cool gray finishes. Also looks great with all the taupes that are currently trending.
Cons:
- Can be tricky to work with; it looks cool but is warmer than you think
- Does not work well with blue-white trim colors, which will look discordant
Key Learning Points
Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover is a beautiful, versatile off-white paint color perfect for interiors and exteriors.
- Cloud Cover is a really flexible paint color thanks to its subtle violet undertones.
- Cloud Cover can be used it in bright rooms, medium lit rooms and even darker rooms.
- Avoid Cloud Cover as trim or ceiling color unless you’re also using it for the walls.
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. Learn how to test your paint colors 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
If you still need help with paint colors, check out our Online Color Consulting packages or an In-Person Color Consultation in the Denver Metro area.
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Related Posts
- The 6 Best White Paint Colors For Dark Rooms
- Our 5 Favorite Benjamin Moore Whites
- Benjamin Moore Simply White Color Review
- Benjamin Moore Cloud White Color Review
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace Color Review
- All About Classic Gray
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 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.
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.
12 Responses
We are building a lake house in NH and the lake side with the wall of windows is north facing. We have to pick colors this week and the reflection into the house is bright snow however that will change once the snow melts and the greenery appears and the snow on the lake becomes blue. We chose cloud cover with Chantilly lace trim which look great together under current conditions but I’m concerned now reading your post once the exterior conditions change. It’s an open floor plan. What would you advise? Thanks so much.
This is probably the palette I would choose for a lot full of foliage (Cloud cover has warmth that can check-mate the foliage), but unfortunately its hard to make sure if you can’t test in the summer. If you have carefully tested the paint colors in the house, in a very large area on the wall (3′ by 5′), and it still looks good its probably worth the risk. The most important element is that it should look good with your hard finishes in natural light.
I’ve been wondering this same thing! Yes, please explain. My house is north exposure with a little southern light. And always wondered if cloud cover would work.
I’ve enjoyed reading your post about this color. I’ve wanted white in the interior of my house which faces east and I think you have provided me with the answer. My next concern is I would love contrasting colors, Amy suggestions?
Thanks,
Margaret
Hi Margaret,
My suggestion is to pull colors out of your decor. If you sign up for our email list it has several tips in our giveaway, “8 Easy Ways to Pick Paint Colors”.
Your post has been incredibly helpful. I’ve been contemplating Snowbound for my kitchen and great room area, our cabinets will be Egret White. I want lighter than Egret but not stark. Do you think Cloud Cover would pair well with Egret? Our counter is pegasus dolomite which almost looks like Carrara marble. It’s primarily white with a touch of grey/griege. We would do Oxford white or something similar on trim. We’ll have simple white subway tile. Would love your thoughts? Thank you!
This post has been helpful, thank you. Could I use Cloud Cover if my trim is SW Pure White? Also, how does it compare to Snowbound, there seem to be similarities? Thank you!
Cloud Cover and Pure White would be really nice. I’m not crazy about Snowbound because of its strong taupey/pink undertones, but in the right setting it could work with Cloud Cover. Just make sure that you don’t paint match Cloud Cover to Sherwin-Williams
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Hello! New build and we need help with wall colour, trim and ceilings. Open to one colour for the entire home, but also open to suggestions. Kitchen and butler’s pantry cabinetry are Cloud Cover (I know I just read your comments), kitchen opens to a large great room with lots of natural light. Cambria Everleigh is counter tops. Pantry and back hall cabinetry is Balboa Mist. Ensuite cabinetry is Swiss coffee. Powder room is Wrought Iron. White oak hardwood largely everywhere, except tile in baths. Please offer me some suggestions! I have a couple of weeks before drywall is done! Thanks so much
Sounds wonderful. How did it all turn out? Would love to see photos!
Thank you thank you for reviewing this paint color! Not many have and there is discrepant information out there regarding it’s LRV (anywhere from 80-82) and undertones (blue-gray, a smidge of violet). I have a very large north-facing great room/kitchen with a 10′ slider giving tons of natural light and I have been all over the map for an off white warm paint color that ties in dark brown/gray cabinets, white quartz countertops and modern brushed nickel hardware. After reading your description of what type of room Cloud Cover will work well in, I think I’m ready to call the painters.
Hello. Love this post. With BM natural cream painted kitchen cabinets, would BM cloud cover work for a wall color? My kitchen is east facing but with minimum windows so low natural light. If not BM Cloud Cover, what do you suggest for a lighter than cabinet color? Not sure if my current house whole house wall and trim color information is helpful to know, but currently most walls are BM classic gray with BM 151 white is used for my house trim. Would the trim need to change with cloud cover if it works?