Our Review of Ballet White by Benjamin Moore

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Updated July 19, 2024

Ballet White by Benjamin Moore is an off-white and creamy hue that’s a wonderful choice for a home exterior. Our designers love it for its versatility, neutral undertones, and sophisticated feel. It’s a beautiful color in an array of environments and on many home styles. You really can’t go wrong with this one!

Below, we share all the details. We go over recommended color pairings for Ballet White and how our designers like to use the hue. Keep reading to learn more about Ballet White by Benjamin Moore!

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Virtual rendering of a two story traditional farmhouse painted in Benjamin Moore's Ballet White, with gray-green shutters and a wood stained garage door.

Benjamin Moore’s Ballet White: The specs

Benjamin Moore’s Ballet White is not too light or too dark with an LRV of 71.97. (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.)

In sunny or shaded environments,  BM Ballet White won’t change much in appearance. It’s going to be equally as lovely in the evening as it is in the morning. Its undertones are refreshingly subtle. Hints of yellow contribute to its softness, however, gray lends to its neutral look.

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.

Two story brick home with black bay windows, clay roof tiles, and a black metal front door.

Recommended applications for BM Ballet White

In application, Ballet White by Benjamin Moore is quite versatile. Using Ballet White on textured surfaces is a nice way to add dimension to muted tones. No matter if your home is brick, stucco, or has lap siding, the results are gorgeous.

Although Ballet White looks amazing on many different home styles, traditional, Colonial, and farmhouse style homes seem to be where it shines best. We’re not opposed to applying it to cottages or Mediterranean homes though!

Materials like wood, stone, and copper look wonderful next to Ballet White’s warmer profile. In the design above, you’ll find some of these elements complementing Ballet White perfectly.

Large Colonial home with six dormer windows, double-hung black front doors, and wood columns.

Ballet White color pairings

Greige, brown, black, and white are the excellent colors to pair with Ballet White. We would also consider darker greens and lighter blues in the right settings.

The home above was designed with Anonymous by Sherwin Williams on the brick, Ballet White on the trim, and Benjamin Moore’s Black Beauty on the doors. Copper gutters and wood columns add a deeper warmth that flows with the earthy colors. This color palette is sophisticated, classic, and will withstand the test of time.

Virtual rendering of a home painted in Benjamin Moore's Ballet White with varied gray stone cladding, and greige shutters.

There’s something about off-whites paired with greiges that exude a classy and timeless look we can’t get enough of.

Ballet White plays well in elegant and polished color schemes. The home above shows Ballet White as the central color on the home’s brick and Dorian Gray by Sherwin Williams on the shutters. The stone siding has a varied palette of browns, off-whites, and grays, continuing the palette around architectural elements that want to be highlighted. The stone adds textural interest, as does the brick, while also adding deeper tones to complement the shutters.

Virtual rendering of a split level brick home painted in Benjamin Moore's Ballet White with a metal porch roof, gray shutters, and lush landscaping.

For a more contrasted style, Ballet White can be applied next to dark grays like Benjamin Moore’s Kendall Charcoal, seen on the gutters, fascia, and shutters above. A hint of deeper contrasted gray-green can be seen on the door with Benjamin Moore’s Ashwood Moss drawing the eye toward the entrance. Black fixtures tie in with the black roof, and a lighter off-white – White Dove by Benjamin Moore – brightens the home on the columns and window trim.

Mid-century rancher with light blue hurricane shutters, wood stained garage doors, and cedar wood porch columns.

Pros and cons of Benjamin Moore’s Ballet White

PROS:

  • Neutral color means fewer pesky undertones to work around
  • Looks lovely as a central or accent color
  • Will look great on many home styles

CONS:

  • Has a tinge of yellow that some might want to avoid

Ballet White alternatives

Benjamin Moore’s Ballet White is no doubt a fantastic option for your home exterior. We still would like to share two alternative paint colors that could also be good choices.

Large multi-story brick home with black windows, light beige stone cladding, and dark gray roof shingles.

Sherwin Williams’ Shoji White vs. BM Ballet White

How many accolades can one paint color have? Shoji White holds a few, including being one of Sherwin Williams’ top 50 paint colors and their August 2022 color of the month. At brick&batten, we’ve also named it one of the 12 best Sherwin Williams’ exterior paint color of 2021 and one of the 6 best warm whites for your home.

Compared to Ballet White, Shoji White has more gray and therefore is more neutralized. It’s also only a little bit brighter than Ballet White with an LRV of 74. In terms of color pairing options, muted shades of green, brown, greige, and gray are solid choices. In application, wood accents like lintels, copper and other metals, and stone with varying shades of beige and gray all complement Shoji White well.

Multi-story brick home with white windows, a modern black front door, and a stepping stone walkway.

Sherwin Williams’ Alabaster vs. BM Ballet White

Sherwin Williams’ 2016 color of the year – Alabaster – is another fool-proof off-white that has never lets us down. Its LRV is 82, so it’s quite a bit brighter than Ballet White. Like Ballet White, it also has a smidge of greige undertones to prevent it from being too warm and is considered a neutral paint color. You may observe it looking somewhat warmer during sunrise or sunset, but nothing too drastic and certainly not deterring.

Its versatility is incredible. We’ve used Alabaster on almost every style of home you can think of with stunning results. Beach houses and farmhouses alike are show-stoppers in this elegant hue.

Moreover, Alabaster also looks gorgeous on any kind of textured surface, and there are a ton of color pairing options because it virtually goes with all of the color families. We’ve paired it with blues, greens, browns, greiges, blacks, and even had pops of color like Sherwin Williams’ Peach Fuzz accompany it on a client’s bungalow. Alabaster can be cozy, elegant, and even whimsical all depending on the complementing colors used.

One story rancher with a white pergola, white garage doors, and natural red brick.

The bottom line on Ballet White

Benjamin Moore’s Ballet White checks all the boxes for a well-rounded exterior paint color. Not only does it look amazing on pretty much any home style, but it’s also great to apply onto textured surfaces. Greige undertones allow it to be paired with browns and grays alike, widening your options for complementing colors. Furthermore, as a neutral, it will look beautiful from morning to night with virtually no changes in appearance.

Ballet White by Benjamin Moore is a wonderful choice for a home exterior makeover. Our designers have been loving it as a simple and versatile off-white. If you’re interested in seeing Ballet White on your home, we’re waiting to help every step of the way!

Ready to see Ballet White on your home? Your answers to our short questionnaire is all we need for our designers to start creating a custom design for your home exterior. We’ll even provide a shoppable resource list so getting started is as easy as clicking a few links. 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!

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