Our Review of Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore

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Gray exterior paint colors are having a moment. On our 2022 list of best exterior paint colors, 7 of our top picks were a shade of gray. Whether dark and moody or light and fresh is your vibe, you can’t go wrong these days. That’s why we’re highlighting Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore. This soft and airy paint color is perfect for traditional homes, but we love it on bungalows and more modern homes, as well. Keep reading to learn more about Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore.

Similar to white, gray paint colors can be so similar to each other. Choosing the perfect gray exterior paint color — or any exterior paint color — can be overwhelming. Let us help! Our design experts at brick&batten will narrow down your choices and show you how they look on your home. From exterior paint colors to lighting options, we’re here to guide your exterior update decision-making process. Learn more about what we do.
Two story home with stone columns and black shutters

Benjamin Moore’s Gray Owl: The Specs

Gray Owl, with an LRV of 64.51, is a light and cool gray with green-blue undertones. (Curious about LRV? Learn more here, including why LRV is so important to keep in mind when choosing the perfect paint color for your home.)

The surrounding environment will definitely play a role in how this color appears. In the sun, this hue will look soft and light. The green or blue undertones may come out depending on the amount (and color) of trees and plants near your home. In the shade, Gray Owl takes on a more muted appearance; it will still appear soft, but the undertones will be more noticeable. This can make color pairings tricky, but we’ve gathered some great suggestions below!

Farmhouse with large porch, copper gutters, and wood lintels

Recommended Applications for Gray Owl

Gray Owl is not as versatile as other colors, but it still works on a wide variety of cladding materials. Our designers love Gray Owl on traditional homes, and it’s also a great choice for other styles, including contemporary homes and farmhouses. We’ve used Owl Gray as a field color many times; however, it works wonderfully as an accent color, too.

updated coastal bungalow with carport set among tropical plants

Gray Owl Color Pairings

In the design above, our designers created a tranquil vibe for this coastal home by pairing Gray Owl with Benjamin Moore’s Sea Haze on the shutters and Seapearl on the porch columns. Essentially, Sea Haze is a more saturated version of Gray Owl (it’s the next shade darker on the color swatch). These two hues pair perfectly, and this design is a great example of pulling Gray Owl’s undertones in all the right ways. The warm tans and browns in the roof, doors, and patio furniture balance the cool hues of Sea Haze and Gray Owl.

Two story Tudor-style home with black modern elements and brick

Remember when we mentioned Gray Owl can appear muted in shaded environments? The Tudor-style home above is a suburban dream and another excellent example of Gray Owl’s color pairing options. Our designers played on the original moody brick of the home by choosing Secret by Benjamin Moore as the central color, complementing it with Gray Owl on the decorative half-timbering. The black roof and windows match the fascia and portico painted in Caviar by Sherwin Williams. The large window panes on the front door and windows breathe life back into the home, so it doesn’t come across as too dark.

modern contemporary home with black windows and horizontal wood siding

A contemporary home with curb appeal and all the style. Gray-Owl-painted Hardie Board is on the bottom half of this home, while Amherst Gray by Benjamin Moore, a beautiful dark gray with green undertones, is on the panel system up top. Gray Owl is the perfect hue to pair with Amherst Gray for toned-down contrast. Again, to warm up the color scheme and break up the vertical lines on this home, horizontal wood-look siding was added to the full height of the entrance and then repeated on the mailbox. This home was completed with modern black trim and fascia, and other elements like the mixture of vertical and horizontal lines, the patterned driveway, and the updated garage doors.

WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND SAMPLING AND TESTING PAINT COLORS BEFORE COMMITTING. FACTORS SUCH AS NATURAL LIGHTING, UNDERTONES, AND YOUR PROPERTY’S FIXED ELEMENTS WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON HOW A COLOR WILL APPEAR ON YOUR EXTERIOR. OUR FRIENDS AT SAMPLIZE OFFER EXTRA-LARGE 9 X 14.75 INCH PEEL-AND-STICK PAINT SAMPLES OF THE COLORS WE LOVE FOR EXTERIORS. ORDER YOUR ‘REAL PAINT, NO MESS’ SAMPLES FROM SAMPLIZE HERE.
traditional home with horizontal wood siding, a modern balcony, and paver driveway

Pros and Cons of Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore

PROS:

  • Versatile enough to be an excellent main color or accent hue
  • Can be used on many home styles
  • Is a great accent color for cooler central colors

CONS:

  • Color pairing can be tricky, but when done well can create a beautiful color palette
  • In shaded environments, Gray Owl could be too muted and soft, depending on the look you want
  • Color casting from environments, especially green, will likely highlight the green undertones

Alternatives to Gray Owl

Choosing the “right” gray paint can be as overwhelming as white paint, because of undertones. From dark charcoal grays, to light grays, to greiges, there are a lot of shades to sort through! We’ve rounded up a couple alternatives of Gray Owl to help you with your decision-making.

rancher with updated black window and wood-look modern garage doors

Sherwin Williams’ Repose Gray

Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams is a great choice if you’re looking for a slightly darker gray exterior paint color. With an LRV of 55.5, it has a lower reflective value than Gray Owl. Applications are similar in that it can be used as a central or accent color on many styles of homes. For color pairings, it is more flexible than Gray Owl. Its warmer undertones allow it to be paired with warmer hues, meaning more options for color schemes to fit your preferences.

Traditional home with paver walkway and black modern windows

Sherwin Williams’ Alpaca

Another alternative without cool undertones, Alpaca by Sherwin Williams may be a good choice for your exterior. This mid-range greige has an LRV of 57, so it’s slightly darker than Gray Owl, as well. The neutrality of Alpaca makes it a good choice because its color pairing options are wide. It’s a versatile color and looks great on many homes — just two reasons why it made our list of best Sherwin Williams paint colors for 2022.

Benjamin Moore’s Gray Huskie

Gray Huskie by Benjamin Moore has similar green undertones to Gray Owl. This is a sophisticated darker gray with an LRV of 45.51, so it’s notably darker than Gray Owl. When paired with other earthy hues and wood elements, it creates an easy, organic color palette. Think deep greens and charcoal grays, similar to the design above. We also like Gray Huskie paired with a chunky bright white trim on a Craftsman-style home for a classy, traditional look.

Mid-century home with decorative arches, a large terrace, and stone and paver walkway

The Bottom Line on Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore

Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore is a wonderful cool-toned light gray. It can be applied as a central color or accent hue on your home, and it pairs well with blacks, blues, and greens.  It’s stunning on Tudors, bungalows, contemporary homes, and more. This light gray may be just the exterior paint color you were looking for.

Our designers at brick&batten are experts at recommending the right color choices for your home and its environment. We take into account the amount of natural light you get, your desired style, preferred/existing accent colors, and more to ensure the perfect hue for your home. The process is easy. Answers to a few short questions and photos of your home are all we need to get going. With this information, we will produce a virtual design of your home with our suggested paint colors. You’ll also receive a clickable resource list that helps you execute the upgrade. What are you waiting for? Let’s make your dream reality. Get started here.

Author

Originally from Tennessee, Ami currently lives in South Carolina, which has been home since leaving the military in 2016. Interior and exterior design has always intrigued Ami, especially the styles and characteristics seen in other countries as an avid traveler and photographer. She lives for the renewal of older or historic homes that maintain their character, and regularly creates her own mood boards and virtual designs for inspiration or to help others with their spaces. Having always had a passion for design and following their work for years prior, Ami was excited to be brought onto brick&batten’s team of writers. Her writing endeavors actually started in an academic/scientific setting, then in a regulatory aspect. Writing about paint colors, emerging or current trends in exterior design, and so much more revolving around something she’s always enjoyed was a fun and welcomed change!