Balboa Mist OC-27 Hue Family
Here’s Balboa Mist OC-27 by Benjamin Moore in context of its Hue Family neighborhood, 2 Y on The Color Strategist Color Wheel. The pink arrows point to where Balboa Mist OC-27 fits in among the other colors according to its Value 8.40 (rounded 8.38) and Chroma of 0.62 rounded to 75.
Color review for Balboa Mist OC-27
All about Balboa Mist OC-27 from Benjamin Moore.
Balboa Mist belongs to the yellow hue family over near the yellow-red hue family, as you can see on The Color Strategist Color Wheel above.
Colors from this Y to YR hue family neighborhood notoriously shift purple in certain qualities of light. (see graphic below)
Some people describe it as lavender, some call it a pale plum-brown.
In a balanced quality of light Balboa Mist is going to look like a near neutral warm gray-beige, it could possibly have moments of peachy-pinkish overtones.
If you do any research on this color, you will find people quite adamant that it has “no undertones” it’s just a “greige”.
While others will report that it looks purple.
That’s because of its hue family and because it’s a low chroma color.
How -or if- it shifts or shows moments of overtones is determined by the light.
The light is boss and Balboa Mist is known to be an inconstant, chameleon color so test thoroughly in your space.
Paint a sample so you can move the color around the room. I recommend SwatchRight Paint-Peel-and-Stick Color Sample Decals.
Don’t choose the best lit wall in the whole room and test it in that one spot directly on the wall, you have to move this one in and out of the shadows.
My SW go-to paint is agreeable gray. However, I have switched to using BM paints. I was just about to purchase Balboa Mist to be used with BM Super White for trim color. However, I can’t risk it looking purple or peach. Any suggestions on a better BM color similar in depth to Balboa, but no purple undertones?? So glad i found this blog!!
Hi TKLS,
I would still grab a sample of Balboa Mist and test it in your space. Paint colors don’t have “undertones”. Every color belongs to a hue family and if a color shifts and looks different from the hue family notation you see here, then it’s a matter of the inherent quality of light.
But you won’t know how Balboa is going to render in your space until you sample and compare.
I just painted my whole house in balboa mist.. some rooms are bright and some rooms aren’t , and it doesn’t show any undertones of lavender or purple at all. ..even at night. This paint is beautiful!
Celyse McLaren…..the same thing happened to me when I recently used Balboa Mist for one of my flip projects. I wanted a barely there “works with anything” light gray, but it didn’t live up to my expectations due to the lavender undertones. I kept it on the walls, however, because it looked pretty nonetheless and it was a flip after all. However, I recently renovated my OWN house, and the search began again. I was EXTREMELY excited when the first color I swatched on a poster board at my home is the one I ultimately chose. It’s called Gray Mist by Benjamin Moore (not to be confused with Gray Wisp). I LOVE this color, and it looks wonderful any time of day and in all lighting. At times, it looks tan, others times light-barely there-gray. This is now my new “go to” griege. P.s…..my trim color is SW Dover White. It was existing before I did the walls in Gray Mist, and I was afraid it was too creamy, but it looks amazing. Soft, not stark, white. Couldn’t be happier.