Our Review of Desert Twilight by Benjamin Moore

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Our love of unique grays has us swooning over Desert Twilight by Benjamin Moore. This hue is the perfect combination of modern and earthy, while still remaining classic. Below, we go over all the details like LRV, colors pairings, and our recommended applications. Keep reading to learn why we love Desert Twilight as an exterior paint color option.

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Virtual rendering of a modern farmhouse in Deseret Twilight by Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore’s Desert Twilight: The specs

With an LRV of 26.6, Desert Twilight is a mid-toned shade with beautiful depth. (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.)

Desert Twilight is a mix of olive green, gray, and brown, and different lighting conditions will highlight different undertones. For example, morning light can show off the gray and green undertones the most, while warm afternoon light emphasizes its hints of brown.

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.
One story rancher with wood pergola over patio, black modern garage door, and lush landscaping.

Recommended applications for Desert Twilight

Desert Twilight is a versatile hue that works great as a central color or accent hue. Our designers use it as both with stunning results. Furthermore, Desert Twilight is a wonderful choice for a variety of home styles. We’ve applied it to virtual designs for farmhouses, craftsman-style dwellings, cottages, and mid-century homes.

Wood and black accents are our go-to options for accompanying design elements, along with copper gutters and stone.

Virtual exterior design of three story home in Desert Twilight by Benjamin Moore, wood accents, and chunky white trim

Desert Twilight color pairings

Browns, blacks, whites, and grays are the perfect colors to pair with Desert Twilight. These hues don’t compete with, but instead complement Desert Twilight’s natural undertones.

In the rendering above, our designers applied Urban Bronze by Sherwin Williams to the brick of the home, Desert Twilight to the new vertical Hardie board siding, and Simply White by Benjamin Moore to the trim. The addition of the stone cladding adds texture and draws the eye to the entrance. Wood and black accents complete the look.

Mid-century modern home virtually design in Benjamin Moores' Desert Twilight, black garage doors, and white trim

On the home above, Desert Twilight is the central color while Benjamin Moore’s Seapearl is used on the trim. We love how the light trim and stone accents pop against the home’s siding. Wood columns, stained fencing, and the front door add warmth to the design.

Traditional farmhouse with shutters in Desert Twilight by Benjamin Moore, wood accents, and copper gutters

Desert Twilight can also work well as an accent color. The farmhouse above features Benjamin Moore’s Ballet White on the siding, brick, columns, fascia, and eaves with Desert Twilight on the shutters. For a farmhouse, Ballet White is lovely choice. It’s a warm white with an antique or vintage feel. The warmth of Ballet White goes together with the earthy tones of Desert Twilight to create a soft color palette that’s traditional and timeless.

Traditional two-story home with vertical siding, brick chimney, and wood columns.

Pros and cons of Desert Twilight by Benjamin Moore

PROS:

  • Can be modern and timeless
  • Earthy feel even in urban settings
  • Looks wonderful on many home styles

CONS:

  • May be too dark for some
  • Brown undertones could be too powerful on West-facing homes

Desert Twilight alternatives

We know Desert Twilight isn’t for everyone, so a few alternatives can be found below.

Benjamin Moore’s Deep Creek

A brick&batten favorite, Deep Creek is a beautiful brown with green undertones. This medium shade has very similar color pairings to Desert Twilight, plenty of depth, and is very on-trend. It even made our list of our favorite green exterior house colors. With an LRV is 14.71, Deep Creek is much darker than Desert Twilight, but not the darkest hue we’ve seen by any means.

Sherwin Williams’ Evergreen Fog

Maybe you’re looking for something lighter, but still in the green hue family. One of our 16 best Sherwin Williams exterior paint colors of 2023 might be just the ticket. Evergreen Fog is a chameleon color that will change throughout the day’s lighting, making it very interesting for curb appeal. Just like Desert Twilight, it can easily be used as the main color of a home or as an accent color. Color and building material options are pretty much identical to Desert Twilight with browns, whites, stone, and even brick being our top choices.

Sherwin Williams even named Evergreen Fog their 2022 color of the year. We can see why.

Japandi style home with earthy color palette in Desert Twilight by Benjamin Moore

The bottom line on Desert Twilight

Desert Twilight — one of our co-founder’s go-to paint colors — is a gorgeous color to consider for your home’s exterior. It’s not too dark or too light. It’s modern, classic, and organic all in one. Furthermore, with different design elements, Desert Twilight can make just about any home style a show stopper. Earthy paint colors like Desert Twilight are trending, and we predict that will continue for the foreseeable future.

Our specialty is helping you visualize your home’s exterior to its full potential. We help with all the small details that can be a little overwhelming. From paint colors to light fixtures, siding options to gutters, our exterior design service helps you make your dream home a 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!