Read all about Benjamin Moore Shoreline, plus see 23 real homes that use it!
If you’ve ever tried to choose a paint color, you know firsthand just how hard it is. After comparing the first 4 or 5 colors and looking at subtle undertones, you might notice your eyes start to cross!
Now I have a little “good news, bad news” situation for you.
Let’s tackle the bad news first (because I always like to end on a positive note!). Unfortunately, gray paint shades aren’t any easier to choose than other shades are. As soon as you start to think you’ve found your ideal gray, you may notice an undertone you hadn’t previously seen. And it’s back to square one.
But there is good news! There are a few gray paint colors that are nice and neutral. They’re incredibly versatile because you can pretty much use them anywhere.
I’ve been publishing a series of in-depth color studies for different individual paint colors. I hope that you’re able to find one of these deep dives on the colors you’re considering and that they give you all the information you need to help you confidently pick your new paint colors.
Today I’m taking a close look at Benjamin Moore Shoreline (1471), one of the most flexible grays available. It’s a light, primarily neutral gray that can lean just a hair warm.
Let’s dive right in to learn more about this beautiful neutral gray and see if you love this color for your home.
FAQs about Shoreline
What color is Benjamin Moore Shoreline?
This light gray (#1471) is a soft, pale neutral gray that is light enough to use anywhere and dark enough to contrast with a crisp white trim.
By name, it’s easy to confuse this color with BM Shore Line (CC-364), which is a rich, earthy, muddy beige color. By name, they’re separated only by a space between the two words. Visually, though, they’re worlds apart.
Where should I use BM Shoreline?
This hue looks incredible on walls and just about anywhere! As a beautiful, neutral pale gray, try it in your kitchen, hallway, laundry room, family room, bedroom, bathroom, playroom, mudroom, and more.
If undertones make your head hurt, you’re not alone! Grab your free copy of 5 Biggest Paint Choice Mistakes Click here or enter your email below. I’ll send the tips right away!⤵️
Benjamin Moore Shoreline Undertones
Gray is rarely JUST gray. Except when it comes to Shoreline. It’s always lovely and soft no matter what lighting is available.
When it comes to undertones, most grays have them in spades. Not Shoreline. The most you can say about this very neutral gray is that it can occasionally flash just a hint of blue or possibly lavender. And when I say ‘hint,’ I really mean just the tiniest inkling of an undertone.
- In north-facing rooms, you get the most cool lighting. Because of this, you may see that blue peek out more here than anywhere else.
- In south-facing rooms, things are a bit more even. You can expect a steady stream of slightly warm light all day. Shoreline looks lovely here, and the softness really shines through.
- Rooms that face west get the most warmth of all! This is abundantly the case as the sun is setting in the late afternoon and early evening. With all this warmth, those purple undertones begin showing up.
- Eastern facing rooms have the opposite. They get warm tones in the morning, but its still not quite as warm as those sunset hours! You’ll get a bit of lavender in the early hours, but it will be more subtle, then even out into a creamy gray.
NOTE: Paint colors rarely look the same on your computer screen as they do on your walls. If you want to know what a shade of paint will TRULY look like, you need to use paint samples to check out how a paint color behaves in your lighting throughout the day and with your decor. Trust me on this one!
As far as sampling goes, I highly recommend these mess-free, re-usable, re-positionable peel and stick paint samples ⤵
Great Coordinating Colors for Shoreline
This gray coordinates well with many colors, from neutrals to rich, bold hues. Try pairing it with nearly everything, but if you want a list of particular colors that go well, start with this list:
- Pure White
- Hale Navy
- Mindful Gray
- Wildwood Crest
- Repose Gray
- Mexicana
- Iron Ore
- Worldly Gray
- Snowbound
- Spring Violet
- Cloud White
- Deep Caviar
- Stonington Gray
- Kendall Charcoal
- Chelsea Gray
- Quiet Moments
- Waters Edge
- Simply White
LRV of Benjamin Moore Shoreline (1471)
Ok, time to get a tad technical (don’t worry, it’ll be brief 🙂). Visually, paint has chameleon qualities because it doesn’t look the same every time you see it. It’s often largely influenced by lighting (see above) and surrounding decor. That said, I like to include a method of evaluating colors that’s immune to those fluctuating outside influences.
Light Reflectance Value (LRV) is a number ranging between 0 and 100. Every color has an assigned LRV number that indicates how much light it reflects. Darker shades have lower LRV numbers (because they reflect less light), while lighter shades have higher LRV numbers (because they reflect more light).
The LRV of BM Shoreline = 68.82
This value puts this hue in the medium-light category. It reflects more light than it absorbs, but it reads dark enough to contrast nicely with white trim.
LRV…what? Don’t worry, I’ve got you! Grab a FREE copy of my new guide to avoid the paint color picking mistakes people make! Click here or enter your email below. I’ll send the tips right away!⤵️
Shoreline Compared to Other Colors
I think determining the undertones of paint colors can be mindboggling without the right technique. As it turns out, I have the perfect trick! Compare shades with similar colors side by side. That’s it! Doing that helps you determine the undertones of both shades.
Here’s how Benjamin Moore Shoreline stacks up against three different popular paint color choices.
Benjamin Moore Shoreline vs. Classic Gray
With an LRV of 74, Benjamin Moore Classic Gray is lighter than Shoreline and has beige undertones. At its core, Classic Gray is a greige-leaning off-white, where Shoreline is firmly and beautifully neutral gray.
Benjamin Moore Shoreline vs. Gray Owl
At first glance, these two shades may appear nearly identical. They are close and read similarly to one another. However, Benjamin Moore Gray Owl’s LRV of 66 makes it a wink darker than Shoreline. It also reads slightly greige, thanks to some mild beige undertones.
Benjamin Moore Shoreline vs. Silver Chain
With an LRV of 57.46, BM Silver Chain is considered a mid-tone hue that reads much darker than Shoreline does. Additionally, Silver Chain reads slightly warmer thanks to its stronger purple undertones.
More Colors to Consider
Are you not yet feeling ready to commit to Shoreline? No problem! Check out these other moody shades to see if they might be a better fit.
- Chantilly Lace (Benjamin Moore) – a bright cool white with blue-gray undertones
- Sea Salt (Sherwin Williams) – a soft light to mid green with gray undertones
- White Dove (Benjamin Moore) – a warm creamy off-white
- Light Pewter (Benjamin Moore) – a crowd-pleasing light gray with greige undertones
- Classic Gray (Benjamin Moore) – a light, greige-leaning off-white
- Stonington Gray (Benjamin Moore) – a rich, mid-toned neutral gray
- Repose Gray (Sherwin Williams) – a warm, mid-toned greige
- Silver Satin (Benjamin Moore) – a soft, grayish off-white
- Light French Gray (Sherwin Williams) – a balanced, mid-toned neutral gray
- Horizon (Benjamin Moore) – pale gray color with subtle blue undertones
Feeling lost? I gotcha, boo! Grab a FREE copy of my new guide to avoid the paint color picking mistakes people make! Click here or enter your email below. I’ll send the tips right away!⤵️
Real Life Homes Using Benjamin Moore’s Shoreline
Ok, now that we’re through the technical part, it’s time to jump to the fun part of this color deep dive! See how shades REALLY behave by checking out how they shift and shimmy in real homes with different decor styles.
Here are real-life homes using Benjamin Moore Shoreline paint!
Bedrooms Painted BM Shoreline
A quick note here: don’t forget to consider picking the right paint finish…it’s not only about getting the color right! We have an in-depth explanation of choosing sheens here.
In general for bedrooms, and low-traffic areas, flat paint is fine. If you like something with a bit of shine (and more ease of cleaning) opt for eggshell or satin.
1. Timeless BM Shoreline Bedroom
This bedroom from Rosa Beltran Design is timeless, thanks to the Shoreline walls. The paint reads neutral with just the teeniest wink of purple undertone thanks to the purple blanket on the bed. (Photography credit: Bethany Nauert).
Shoreline in Kitchen Spaces
For kitchens, eggshell or satin are popular finish choices for walls. For cabinets consider semi-gloss or high gloss for the most durable finish (and a gorgeous glow).
2. Kitchen Walls Painted Benjamin Moore Shoreline
I love the use of Shoreline and white in this elegant kitchen shared by Clean Design Partners! Even though there is plenty of bright natural light, this hue is dark enough to look light and still contrast the white cabinets and trim.
3. BM Shoreline Painted Home
If you love gray, this color scheme has your name on it! Shoreline provides the middle color (on the walls) to tie the white counters with the darker gray cabinets in this kitchen shared by Standard Tile on Houzz. Check out how BM Shoreline reads to the far right of the image compared to how it looks above the sliding door in the middle of the picture.
4. Terrific in a Two-Tone Kitchen
Here, Shoreline is seen on the perimeter cabinets, while the island is painted in Benjamin Moore Abyss. The combo is traditional, tasteful and will likely never go out of style.
Benjamin Moore Shoreline Dining Rooms
5. Dining Space with Light Gray Walls
Many people go for bold colors to create an elegant, formal dining room. While that can look enticing and stunning, so does this use of light gray.
The quiet neutral nature of Shoreline allows the equally gorgeous view through the windows to take center stage with beautiful results in this space from Ohara Interiors.
6. Casual Dining Room in BM Shoreline
Light hues like this one can sometimes reflect the colors that shine onto them. If you see a wink of green undertones on the wall to the left, it’s because the wall reflects the green coming in through the French doors.
By contrast, on the wall to the right, you can see how neutral Shoreline reads as it contrasts with the warm white trim (space via Streeter Custom Home Builders on Houzz).
7. Apartment Dining Space Painted Gray
Do you have a modern decor style? Benjamin Moore Shoreline will likely be an excellent fit for your color scheme! It plays very well in a monochromatic color selection, as you can see here in this room from Carly Cristman.
Living Rooms in BM Shoreline
8. Living Room Painted Shoreline
At first glance, you might be tempted to think these walls are painted in different colors. But no, they’re not! This image is an excellent example of how much lighting can impact how paint reads. The light washes out the wall with Shoreline, while the wall in the shadows looks lovely medium gray.
9. Benjamin Moore’s Shoreline Living Room
I love Shoreline’s ability to fade into the background. This stunning family room from Ohara Interiors is comfortable but light, and the pops of blue add just the necessary touch to prevent the room from being monochromatic.
10. Mixed Lighting
When you have a room with mixed lighting levels and want to highlight vibrantly colored items in your decor, you need a very neutral color as the backdrop. There aren’t many grays that can accomplish such a difficult task, but Shoreline can do it.
11. Living Room Painted Gray
Why would you want to focus on the walls when you have that VIEW to enjoy? Opt for an easy-on-the-eyes wall color that doesn’t detract from where you really want the focus to stay (room via Carly Cristman).
Shoreline Paint in Bathrooms
Don’t forget the finish! For bathrooms the perfect sheen is either an eggshell or satin. Why? We’ll tell you in this post about paint sheen.
12. Bathroom with Low Lighting
This bathroom remodeling project used BM Shoreline to create a timeless classic that won’t need to be remodeled for a very long time. This color never goes out of style!
13. Medium-Tone Gray in Low Light
Even though this bathroom has meager amounts of cool light, you can see that Shoreline contributes a lovely contrast to other elements while keeping the room as light as possible.
14. Elegant Gray Master Bath
Wouldn’t you love a spa-like bathroom like this one by Design 571? Benjamin Moore Shoreline is the perfect touch to help create a true retreat any mother would love to escape to on challenging days!
15. Nice and Neutral
This bathroom from Clean Design Partners is nice and bright thanks to natural light and Shoreline, which in this space reads true gray.
Offices Using Benjamin Moore Shoreline
16. Gray Home Office
Productivity by Design (site is no longer active) shared an example of how Shoreline creates a beautiful and distraction-free workspace. It effortlessly creates clean lines and a comfortable ambiance.
Other Rooms and Spaces Featuring BM Shoreline
17. Sunny Neutral Entryway
This shade is the perfect gray for entryways! Consider painting it on the ceiling as well as a nice touch.
18. Playroom in BM Shoreline
Perfectly neutral. No hints of brown, blue, or pink undertones here! You might notice a slight tinge of green, but that’s simply because, in the bright light, Shoreline is reflecting the green coming in through the windows in this lovely room from Cultivating Quiet (a blog which is no longer active online).
19. Farmhouse-Style Home
Benjamin Moore Shoreline works for any decor style, including contemporary, transitional, traditional, modern, and even modern farmhouse! Doesn’t this farmhouse-style home look stunning with Shoreline gracing the walls?
20. Posh Entryway
This sophisticated entryway from O’Hara Interiors, with its charming circular staircase, opulent lighting and beautiful brick fireplace is painted in Shoreline, which accents the marble fireplace surrounds wonderfully.
Benjamin Moore Shoreline is a lovely warm-leaning neutral light gray. Although it’s a real winner in most circumstances, it may or may not be what YOU’RE looking for. Before you commit to living with it in your home, take some time to find out how this hue will read in your home by using paint swatches and samples!
As far as sampling goes, I highly recommend these mess-free, re-usable, re-positionable peel and stick paint samples ⤵
Pin this paint color for later! And if you use this paint shade, leave a comment on the pin! That helps others decide if they want to try this color, too!
Ready to show those boring, beige walls who’s the boss at home? Grab my free guide to help you sidestep the mistakes that almost everyone makes when it comes to picking paint! You’ll be on your way to perfect paint promptly…pinky swear.
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