IS BENJAMIN MOORE THE RIGHT SHADE OF GRAY FOR YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS?
Have you been looking for the perfect gray paint color for your cabinets and are currently looking at 50 shades of them? Are you leaning towards the slightly WARMER end without jumping on the cream or beige train? Revere Pewter HC-172, might be just the color you’ve been looking for!
However, it has some serious conditions, as not ALL grays are created equal – Revere Pewter is definitely a step outside the standard gray box.
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WHAT TYPE OF GRAY IS REVERE PEWTER?
Revere Pewter is a WARM gray, meaning it has a bit of ‘dirt’ or beige. Will it ever look BEIGE on your cabinets? Heck no, it’s not THAT warm; it’s just not anywhere near the more traditional gray world.
Kylie M Interiors / Rick Pharaoh Photography / Lewis Remodelling / Revere Pewter 25% darker
WHAT ARE THE UNDERTONES OF REVERE PEWTER?
While it might look like a pretty true gray in some light, it has a green undertone, and THIS is where it gets tricky. Many popular white quartz countertops cater to a violet undertone, not a green one. Some still partner these quartz countertops with Revere Pewter and enjoy the play of differing undertones (myself included). However, others are fussy about these partnerships.
Let’s look at Revere Pewter in my client’s kitchen, with lightened Edgecomb Gray on the walls and a more modern-style quartz counter…
This next photo shows how warm and green Revere Pewter (darkened) is compared to Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray’s more stormy, cool look.
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THE DEPTH OF REVERE PEWTER ON CABINETS – SHOULD YOU DARKEN IT?
Revere Pewter has an LRV of 55.05, which means it’s a light-depth paint colour, but it’s darn close to being a light-medium depth as it has a bit more meat on its bones.
Revere Pewter is regular strength in the above kitchen; the countertop is unknown
However, you might find that the sheen of cabinet paint (the recommended SATIN finish) makes the Revere Pewter appear a bit lighter than you expect, especially if you’ve seen it on walls (in a matte or eggshell finish). For this reason, I OFTEN suggest darkening Revere Pewter by 25% or 50% – heck, get samples made up of both. Painting kitchen cabinets is a MASSIVE PROJECT; it’s well worth taking your time with sampling!
If you think Revere Pewter might be too dark for your kitchen, explore colors with a higher LRV, such as Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray, Egret White, and MORE HERE. Remember, the lighter your cabinet color is (other than white), the harder it can be to find a coordinating wall color.
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF REVERE PEWTER
In this next beautiful kitchen by Lewis Remodelling, the Revere Pewter cabinets are darkened by 25%…
See the FULL REMODEL HERE
IS REVERE PEWTER OUTDATED OR STILL TRENDY FOR 2024?
Regarding your walls, no, Revere Pewter isn’t outdated and still has a place in the average home – as long as the home has good natural light. This is because while cool grays aren’t trendy, warm grays work well, especially when they’re well-chosen based on the surrounding finishes. If your home is dark, Revere Pewter will look heavy and drab, which is not currently on trend for this type of color. Revere Pewter is also HOT on exteriors.
As for cabinets, Revere Pewter is still trendy, again, thanks to its earthy, warm undertones. This isn’t to say it will stick around forever, but you’ll get MUCH more out of it than a traditional cooler gray, especially if you darken it a bit.
Why?
Darkening Revere Pewter makes it a bit more flexible to a range of wall colors that look good with it, such as a lightened version of Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray, White Dove, Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White, and several other subtle warm neutrals.
WHY I REGRET REVERE PEWTER ON MY CABINETS
I chose Revere Pewter for the cabinets in my kitchen and had it darkened by approximately 25% to give it more depth. I paired it with the off-white quartz Cambria Brittanica Warm, which is STUNNING with Revere Pewter…
Because our home has a pretty open floor plan, I also painted our secondary doors (bedroom, laundry room, bathroom) Revere Pewter (50% darker) to create a visual link, and I LOVE the look of them with white trim (Benjamin Moore White Dove)…
As you can see in these next two photos, I changed the layout of the cabinets, giving us WAY more upper cabinet space!
But truth be told, I regret choosing Revere Pewter for my cabinets and doors.
Why?
First of all, I regret MOST of my choices because I always ‘long for the color I didn’t choose‘ – the nature of the profession. But the actual REASON I regret Revere Pewter, is that it limits the paint colour options for my WALLS – that’s right, my walls.
Revere Pewter is a light to light-medium depth warm gray with a green undertone. To get any kind of contrast with the walls, my walls need to be white or off-white with undertones that suit Revere Pewter (limiting). I LOVE to change things up at least yearly, and even though I desperately want to paint my walls a light or light-medium depth paint colour – I can’t, as Revere Pewter already takes up that position.
If I paint the walls a light-depth colour that’s NOT Revere Pewter, they’ll fight each other.
Therefore, I’m stuck with a palette of Revere Pewter with white, off-white, OR a considerably darker color on the walls (which I don’t want for the entire open concept of my home).
In ALL of the above photos, the walls are Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray (lightened to provide contrast), but recently, I’ve changed the walls to Benjamin Moore White Dove (due to lack of choice, although I still love the look).
SHOULD YOU PAINT YOUR CABINETS BM REVERE PEWTER?
If you’re the type of person who chooses a color and sticks with it MANY moons, then don’t let the above sway you. If you love something regardless of whether it’s trendy and will still love it when it’s NOT trendy, fill yer lil gray boots! And hey, if you’re happy with warm white/off-white walls OR a medium to medium-dark colour forever and ever, amen – PAINT AWAY, MY FRIEND! But if, like me, you love to change things up occasionally, Revere Pewter WILL severely limit your future options.
Now, let’s round this all up with some bullet points…
PROS TO BENJAMIN MOORE REVERE PEWTER CABINETS
- warm grays and are popular right now on cabinets, as are other off-white and light-depth colors
- if you’re looking for a greige paint color for your cabinets, depending on your perception, Revere Pewter covers that, as it’s quite a warm gray
- it gives a different look compared to the standard gray cabinets being installed by many builders
- it’s a unique colour
CONS TO BENJAMIN MOORE REVERE PEWTER CABINETS
- you’ll have a hard time finding coordinating countertops compared to cooler or stormier grays
- the depth of it will limit your wall colour choices
Get your PEEL & STICK SAMPLE OF REVERE PEWTER from Samplize!
IS REVERE PEWTER A GOOD TRIM COLOR?
Now THAT’S a very on-trend question! Right now, non-white trims and doors are having a moment. And while some homes (particularly OLD homes) will suit them forever and ever amen, this trend will pass in the average home.
As shown on my Revere Pewter doors, below (50% darkened), it’s a great partner to various white paint colors. If you want SOME gray but are nervous about painting all of your trim, this idea is a great happy medium…
Benjamin Moore White Dove trim, lightened Edgecomb Gray walls
Overall, Revere Pewter looks great on interior doors and trims (and exteriors…and walls), if you want a soft, warm gray, greige look. Just remember, this depth of color makes it tricky to paint your walls anything other than a white, subtle off-white, or a color that’s DARKER than Revere Pewter.
READ MORE
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