Nantucket Gray

Benjamin Moore calls Nantucket Gray 'a stylish gray-green reminiscent of fog settling over grassy fields', and on a wall it is far more green than gray — a muted olive-sage with warmth in it. That warmth is what moves with the light.

In a south- or west-facing room the yellow in it comes forward and it reads as a soft golden green; reviewer A Season For Home warns that in warm light 'the orange lurking below the surface will be more noticeable'. In a north-facing room it cools toward an olive-gray and the gray in the name finally appears.

Across the day it is steadier than most greens: Dabbling & Decorating reports that it 'tends to hold its soft green-gray tone beautifully from morning to evening'. Its LRV of 39.83 makes it a mid-tone, not a pale, so it does not wash out in bright light.

Nantucket Gray is first and foremost a cabinet color. Shaker and inset kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, built-ins and fireplace surrounds are where reviewers show it most, in satin or semi-gloss.

It is also used on trim and millwork against white walls — wainscoting, shiplap, doors and windows, sunroom trim with Simply White walls — and as exterior siding.

On all four walls it is a bigger decision. At a mid-tone LRV it can feel heavy in a small or dim bedroom; Knockoff Decor notes it 'can feel overwhelming and bold' there. Hallways, dining rooms and mudrooms carry it better.

Benjamin Moore's coordinating colors for Nantucket Gray are Tapestry Beige OC-32, Kendall Charcoal HC-166, Creamy White OC-7 and Sweet Basil 455. Designers pair it with White Dove OC-17, Simply White OC-117 and Chantilly Lace OC-65 as trim and wall whites, and with Hale Navy HC-154 as a companion dark.

Walnut, oak, rattan, antique brass and terracotta all flatter its warmth. Blue-and-white ceramics against it is a classic New England look.

Its relatives are Farrow & Ball French Gray, which is slightly lighter; Clarksville Gray HC-102, more brown and earthy; Sherwin-Williams Svelte Sage; and October Mist, cooler and bluer. One reviewer states that Cheyenne Green 1502 is the same color under another name; Benjamin Moore's page does not confirm that, so treat it as unverified.

It fails for anyone who wanted a gray. Despite the name it is a green, and buyers who chose it from the name alone are the source of most of its complaints.

It fails in warm west light if you dislike yellow-olive. The orange-yellow beneath it surfaces in strong warm sun and the sage turns khaki.

And it fails as a wall color in small, dim rooms, where its mid-tone depth reads as heavy and flat rather than foggy. Keep it on cabinets and trim there, or move up to a lighter sage.