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Are you searching for the perfect gray paint color for your home? Stonington Gray (HC-170) is a great choice if you are looking for a medium-toned gray paint color. When I get asked for a “neutral gray” this is oftentimes my go-to color choice.
Is it truly neutral? No, it has a subtle stormy blue undertone that can be apparent in cool natural light. However, it mostly looks neutral gray!
I find that this paint color is especially sought after in boy bedrooms – it’s the perfect medium gray that tends to work well alongside more masculine colors like navy blues, darker grays, deep wood tones, etc. In fact, when we first moved into our home, it was the color I chose for my two oldest boys’ bedrooms!
I’ve since repainted all the bedrooms as this type of gray no longer appeals to me, but it’s still a popular choice with many.
What Undertones Does Stonington Gray Have?
Stonington Gray (HC-170) has a stormy blue undertone. It stays perfectly gray in most spaces unless it’s paired with a lot of white and cool (north facing or east facing) light, where it can look a little blue. Rarely, you may also see a flash of a purple undertone.
In my home, I also originally had my living room painted with Stonington Gray. It looked lovely paired with a crisp white trim color (we used BM Decorator’s White) but does equally well with stained trim, too.
What is the LRV of Stonington Gray?
The LRV of Stonington Gray is 59. This means it is not light and airy but has a bit of depth to it. However, a bright white trim really livens it up. It’s truly a medium shade of gray.
Light Reflectance Value (LRV) is an indicator of the amount of light that is reflected by a color when it is illuminated by a light source. A higher value (closer to 100) means that a color will reflect more light back at you and a lower value (closer to 0) means that a color will appear darker, or absorb more light.
Is it a Cool Gray?
This is definitely a cool shade of gray because of the blue undertone!
If you are looking for warm grays, Sherwin Williams has a few popular grays including Colonnade Gray, Agreeable Gray, and Repose Gray and of course, Benjamin Moore has some great choices such as Revere Pewter, Edgecomb Gray, or Classic Gray to name a few.
What Colors Go With Stonington Gray?
Stonington Gray truly works best with any other cool toned wall color so consider blues, green, and darker grays. You can’t go wrong with a classic shade of bright white, either.
I’m partial to pairing this with a rich Navy like Sherwin Williams Naval or crisp whites like Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace.
Where Should I use Stonington Gray?
It can be used most anywhere. You can certainly use this as a whole house interior paint color or even as an exterior paint color.
But, it is particularly popular in bedrooms designed for boys. I think because it blends so nicely with blue it’s just the obvious choice!
Stonington Gray Accent Colors
When my oldest was a toddler, I paired Stonington Gray with a navy blue accent wall (Sherwin Williams Naval) in his room. Because of the undertones of Stonington Gray, it’s the perfect gray to complement this deep navy shade.
(This room is east-facing, so it’s dark for a lot of the day so ultimately we ended up painting the entire room a warm white but I still love this color combination!)
Our old guest room (now boy #3’s bedroom) is south-facing and has a lot of light furnishings. You can see how much brighter and fresher the paint color looks in here, compared to the bedroom above.
What is the Lighter Version of Stonington Gray?
BM Gray Owl, BM Classic Gray, or BM Wickham Gray are all paint colors lighter than Stonington Gray that may be perfect for you if you’re looking for something lighter and brighter.
Stonington Gray vs Gray Owl
Stonington Gray is a cool gray with a stormy blue-purple undertone. On the other hand, Gray Owl has a green undertone that makes it appear warmer on walls, although it’s still a cool toned gray.
Stonington Gray is a great choice if you want more contrast and a slightly darker shade gray in a room. Remember, it can flash quite blue in rooms with cooler light. Conversely, in my experience, Gray Owl looks like a pretty fresh gray the majority of the time.
Stonington Gray vs Wickham Gray
Stonington Gray is more of a “traditional” gray than Wickham Gray, although similar. Wickham Gray is also much lighter and reflects more of the blue/green undertones.
Sherwin Williams Equivalent of Stonington Gray
A lot of people ask me for Sherwin William’s equivalents of my favorite paint colors, Stonington Gray included.
My answer is always to pick the color you like then get it mixed in the brand of your choice.
So, if you want to use Stonington Gray all you have to do is go to the Sherwin Williams store and ask them to mix up Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray for you.
They have access to all the color codes in their computers and can color match to their own brand of paints. I do this all the time (except for white paint colors, which don’t color match well!).
With that being said, SW Repose Gray is a great alternative. It doesn’t have the blue undertone that Stonington Gray has, and it’s got some warmth to it, but it’s about the same color saturation and one of my favorite paint colors.
Don’t Forget…
Don’t forget – no matter what you’ve read or photos you’ve seen online, it’s really important to sample paint colors in your home before committing!
Samplize provides real paint samples that are easy to move around your home, and cheaper than buying a gazillion paint pots! It’s the only way I buy paint samples.
Final Thoughts on Stonington Gray
If you are looking for a relatively neutral looking, medium-toned gray that’s a little on the cooler side then Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray is for you.
If you’re still on the fence, then read more about Gray Owl for a lighter, fresher gray. And for a gray that universally works anywhere, consider Sherwin Williams Repose Gray.
Redoing my house. My kitchen cabinets are going to be BM Classic Gray and a walnut island. Was going to paint my walls same Classic Gray. I would like to paint my Dining Room and Living Room Stonington Gray but with Classic Gray trim. Do you think that combo would work? I’m looking to tone down my moldings. Tired of the white outlines. Or I was going to paint everything Classic Gray, ceilings white dove, and bookcase Witching Hour or something dark.
Hi Mary Lou – I would not pair those two colors together. Classic Gray is warm and Stonington Gray is cool with a blue undertone. They do not work together. I would keep the walls significantly lighter if you’re doing the trim Classic Gray….perhaps taking Classic Gray and lightening it by 50% would give you still enough contrast (or like you said, keep it all classic gray for a more tone-on-tone look).
Would it work in a basement with recessed lighting?
It depends on the temperature of your lighting and colors of your furniture, etc. I would definitely try a test sample first so that you can ensure it doesn’t look too blue!
Would stonington gray work in my dining room which is open to the living room which is pained pale oak ??
Hi Valerie – that’s mixing a warm color with a cool gray so it might look a little funky
What colour of trim/baseboards would work with Stonington?
Any of the cooler whites – chantilly lace,
Oxford white,
Decorators white