The 2019 Benjamin Moore Color of the Year was just announced and I am so excited about it this year! It’s a gorgeous shade of taupe/gray called Benjamin Moore Metropolitan.
Since Benjamin Moore’s forecast comes out so much later than the other paint manufacturers (drives me crazy!), I usually just add Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year to my annual Color Forecasts and Trends and Colors of the Year post that I do in the summer each year. However, this year, I want to talk about Benjamin Moore’s 2019 Color of the Year and their color forecast because it’s VERY interesting and different from all the other forecasts and I wanted to point out a few things.
So first off, let’s talk a minute about Benjamin Moore’s pick for 2019; Metropolitan.
via Benjamin Moore
When all of the other paint manufacturers picked dark rich colors of the year, I am very surprised to see Benjamin Moore veer from the pack and choose a mid-tone neutral gray. I absolutely LOVE this color but what’s interesting is that this is a color that’s trending today-at this moment-in real time, which is something I have never seen Benjamin Moore do when choosing a color of the year. Just to show you what I mean, I’m seeing this shade of gray/taupe in new construction everywhere as I tour Parade of Homes and new builder communities. Here are some images of the similar colors to Benjamin Moore Metropolitan that I have taken this last year:
Benjamin Moore Fieldstone
Benjamin Moore Shale
Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray
Benjamin Moore Stonington
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
Choosing Metropolitan as their 2019 Benjamin Moore Color of the Year tells me that the color forecasters at Benjamin Moore don’t see gray going away anytime soon and I couldn’t agree more! While grays will continue to be the most popular choice with consumers the next few years, the shades and undertones in the grays will change greatly year to year. In 2019, undertones will continue to warm up and then in 2020, undertones will finally begin to cool after a three year warm-up.
I love that Benjamin Moore decided to choose a color that is something consumer’s would actually consider using in their home instead of an obscure shade of dark eggplant or pistachio green that while pretty, very few of us would use these colors on our walls or cabinetry.
I also wanted to talk about today is that along with Benjamin Moore announcing their color of the year, they also came out with their 2019 Color Forecast, which I also found interesting. Benjamin Moore’s 2019 forecasted colors are also realistic and real-time colors trending today, which again, is very refreshing and really golden information for us looking for great realistic colors! These are all colors that mainstream consumers are using today in a big way! You will recognize several of these colors in the 2019 Benjamin Moore Color Trend below:
Many of these colors on the 2019 Benjamin Moore Color Trends I have used for years and they are on my “Go-To” color list that I have shared with you guys in the past:
So let me show you the Benjamin Moore 2019 colors in action:
Door painted with Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal
Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal
Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White
Benjamin Moore Smoke
Benjamin Moore Pashmina
What’s really interesting about these colors is that most of them have been Benjamin Moore’s best selling colors for the last 1-2 years. I think that Benjamin Moore this year wanted to choose colors that are already very popular but will continue to be trending into 2019, which is so refreshing! Every single color on the 2019 Benjamin Moore Color Trends are realistic and colors with strong track records with consumers.
I am really excited about all of Benjamin Moore’s 2019 Color Trend picks and the 2019 Benjamin Moore Color of the Year. It’s so nice to see colors that are realistic and that we’ll actually use in our homes. These colors are a fantastic place to start if you’re looking for a color change in your home!
Check out the other paint manufacturer’s 2019 Colors of the Year for my color inspiration.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Cheers!
Cyndy
Nancy says
Cindy-
I know right !!
When I saw BM color of the year a few weeks back . I was like oh wow so fiffetent from the others .. But excited ! A color I can actually use .
And if I’m not wrong it’s a cool shade not the warm they they have been showing …
I think people have embraced the graytrend
Which they learned how to work with gray …
I too think it’s here for a while …’
We are doing a new home …
As I was making choices here is the collusion I came to :::
In our hard surfaces we r going to do neutral not a bright color we all have that down .
But that is where it gets tricky .
That’s where r choices narrow down …
I love white but I didn’t want white on white everything . Plus trying to bring on the different whites together isn’t easy.
Then we have black love it but small doses .
Beige … for me not feeling .
Then brown / gray /
Navy
I didn’t go heavy handed but did use some gray .
It is easy to use with the whites the black / navy and etc …
I think we r going to have gray be as much of a staple in design as we do white and black … it’s great with color and it’s also good
if you want muted .
Love your blogs thank you …
Cyndy says
Yes Nancy! Isn’t their pick so refreshing?! Metropolitan is gray/taupe that is balanced warm and cool. Of course, you know how much I love transitional colors like this because they are so much safer than colors that lean too cool or too warm. 🙂 I think you’re very smart with your color choices for your new home and I sure hope you’ll send me pictures when you’re done! Thanks so much for following along! 🙂
Nan says
We just recently painted our living room in Metropolitan. Very big caution to anyone considering this colour – it came out light BLUE on our walls. I was so hoping for that chic gray/taupe with a hint of green/blue that you see on the colour sample. Instead it pulled the blue as the main colour with gray as the secondary colour. Since we paid to have this done (I can no longer do the painting), we are going to have to just get used to it. It’s not horrible but it looks more like a colour for a bedroom than a living room. Definitely get a paint sample and paint on each of your walls before choosing it. The time of day/sun makes a big difference.
Karen Valvano says
I agree that the BM 2019 palette is a great realistic and beautiful collection of colors. I’m an interior designer/color consultant. Three years ago I painted my own master bedroom, bath and sitting room in a combination of Metropolitan and AF-700 Storm. Used a crisp white trim and a little Snow on the Mountain to soften some of the ceiling angles. As always watch your ceiling lighting as Metropolitan does not like a too yellow tinted color.
Cyndy says
As a color consultant, I know that you’re happy to see these more realistic colors! I am so happy and it’s so refreshing for a change! I couldn’t agree more with your great advice when it comes to ceiling color mixed with Metropolitan. I think crisp white trim is the perfect combination! Thanks for your note! 🙂
Nancy says
Cindy sorry for the spelling this morning
Should have checked spell check will correct and if I don’t proof read ?
I will send you pictures when done ..
Have a good week !
Dan says
Would have appreciated a more analytical POV as to where this color would work or not work…your usual commentary about LRV, undertones, light exposures, etc. I’m inferring you maybe have not used this color yet? If you have, why this instead of the others? I always appreciate your thorough analysis and hope you will offer that for this color. Thank you.
Mary says
My husband and I are in the process of choosing paint colors for our home that we recently purchased, so I picked up a sample of Metropolitan last week. The color is far darker than it appears on the cover of their 2019 paint trend booklet, which to me almost looks like a light beige/green/gray color. For reference, I find that the paint sample square on this site of the Metropolitan color looks like a soft blue/green with a shade of gray to it (almost like SW Sea Salt). In person, the paint sample was quite dark–a solid mid-tone that appears two or three shades darker than BM Gray Owl and at least one shade darker than Stonington Gray, for comparison. I am considering taking the sample back to Benjamin Moore because it just looks very dark to me, and my home has a lot of natural light that I would have expected to wash it out. I would love to see a color spotlight on Metropolitan because I am wrestling with why this color looks so nice in the pictures and far too dark in my home. From what I can tell, I would need to lighten the color by nearly 50% to get it close to the way it looks in these photographs. I hope this feedback is helpful for someone else interested in this color.
Cyndy says
That is VERY interesting Mary! I honestly have no experience with the color and couldn’t speak to how true it is. However, I can tell you that twice now I have had to take back paint because the color was off on two colors that I know VERY well. Turns out that both times, the color machine was low/out of one of the colors. Also, you did get your sample from Benjamin Moore directly and didn’t have it color matched at Sherwin Williams or Lowe’s? It is also important to note that in staged photos lighting would be used to lighten but Benjamin Moore would be very careful to make sure the color appeared in their imagery close to how it appears in person. Keep me posted and I will look for imagery on Metropolitan for a Color Spotlight down the line. Thanks for your note Mary! 🙂
Mary says
Thanks for your suggestions, Cyndy. Yes, they were samples directly purchased from a Benjamin Moore retailer. I would agree in that I think the photographers would want to make the color look as true to the original as possible, though all lighting situations are going to make it appear differently. I think I will take it back with me to see about having a new sample of Metropolitan lightened 50% and to double check that the original sample was done correctly. I’m reading some comments (on different sites and on different paints) about how formulas have changed over the years for various popular paint colors, e.g. gray owl of 2018 may not be the same gray owl of 2012 when perhaps many of the photos of home interiors now populated on Pinterest were taken. So I am trying to be extra cautious now, and I am hopeful the paint store will honor my paranoia and work with me to find the right paint. 🙂
Katie says
Mary, were you ever able to match the color as it looks in the photo of the bedroom in the BM promotional materials for Metropolitan? I brought a sample home and it was so much darker that I couldn’t believe they were the same color (just like you said). I tried a sample at 50% and it still looked much darker than the pictures. Just stumbled on this thread and wondered if you’d ever landed on anything that actually looks like the photos. Think I’ve tried 11 samples at this point and none look quite right. I’m trying to achieve the color as it looks in this pic and am having a heck of a time so curious if you ever nailed it. Thanks!.
Cindy Butler says
I’m intrigued by Metropolitan but all of the trim in my house is Alabaster. Previous poster mentioned Alabaster not liking much of a yellow tint…thought about Alabaster with Metropolitan?
Colleen says
We painted our living room and kitchen in Metropolitan five years ago, and while I still love it I agree wholeheartedly with the earlier reviewer who said that “in real life” it is much darker than it appears in the brochure. It is definitely a solid mid tone gray – both of these two rooms in my home are west facing and pretty bright, and in the living room I find the colour is soft, dim and romantic at night (which is when we might use that room) but I have often contemplated repainting the kitchen to a brighter colour as it is a bit dark, even with white marble counters and white cabinets and large windows. It does not appear to have the mossy grey-green look that I see in the BM pictures either. It is much more of a “wet cement” look. I like it a lot, but don’t decide you do until you see it and test it yourself in your home.
Jane says
I agree. We purchased a sample pot, and I’m so glad that we did because the colour as sampled does not look like the brochure.
Not entirely related, but I am surprised that Metropolitan was chosen, since grey has been “trending” for almost 10 years now! Is it up to Benjamin Moore to reflect the trends, or set them, with their colour of the year selection?
Susan Murphy says
Hello, we just had our kitchen cabinets painted BM Shale like your picture above. I love the backsplash tile. Do you know what the pattern is called? Thank you!
Lin says
This post is so helpful. Thank you! We just bought a new house and are repainting the cabinets Gray owl, but have ywt to choose a white for the walls that wpuld match perfect… the floors are cherry and the counter tops are almost like a marble with brown and white! So although I do not understand cool and warm tones as well as what would look great with our color scheme, I’m getting there! This post is great. Thank you again!