Chantilly Lace Benjamin Moore White Paint Color Spotlight

I discovered the popular white paint color, Chantilly Lace Benjamin Moore while trying to find the perfect white paint color for my living room. Once I sampled it on the wall, I knew it would be great for my huge, open living space. Once we painted the whole room, I knew this would be a paint color that I could see myself using over and over again. It would become a go-to white paint color for me. I love it so much.

I can tell you that selecting paint colors are always tricky because no matter how many photos you look at, no paint color looks the same in different spaces. There are lighting situations, undertones, and so many different aspects that affect how a paint color will look in your home. Additionally, I think picking white paint colors is the trickiest of them all.

You may or may not know that not one of the white paint colors out there is true, pure white. Every white paint has subtle undertones which affect the color just ever so slightly giving it a more off-white tinge or a cooler feel. When I was looking for a true white, I combed through a lot of colors that were considered “bright whites.” In the end, I settled on Chantilly Lace because it worked the best in my space.

Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace OC-65

Let’s take a deep dive into this paint color, Chantilly Lace, by Benjamin Moore OC-65. When we first moved into our home I painted the entire living area a warm white that had very yellow undertones. After a year or so, I decided that the creamy white, almost beige looked dated and we needed a clean white in our space. I discussed how I landed upon BM Chantilly Lace in this post where I talk about why we wanted our walls white.

Chantilly Lace is part of Benjamin Moore’s off-white collection. The paint manufacturer describes the color as “a classic go-to white that elicits images of pure silk and fresh cotton.”

What is the LRV?

When we talk about paint colors, we have to talk about the Light Reflectance Value or LRV. Each paint manufacturer determines the color’s LRV based on a scale with 100 being pure white and 0 being pitch black. The closer to 100 a color is, the more light it reflects.

What is the LRV of Chantilly Lace?

Lighting situations play a major role in how a paint color is going to look in any given space. We have one side of the house that gets all of the natural light so I needed a paint color with a higher LRV (light reflective value). Chantilly Lace is at 92.2 (100 being pure white). That’s pretty darn close to a true white in my book. Chantilly Lace ended up looking like a very bright white paint color in my living room which is exactly what I was going for.

Most white paint colors will have some pretty clear undertones that pull the color either warm or cool. You can see from the photos of my living room that it’s not stark or cold but it’s not super warm and creamy either. It’s a cool color with a touch of warmth from the lighting giving it a very neutral white look.

What are the Undertones?

Chantilly Lace has a slight blue undertone (remember all whites have a slight undertone) so it does read a bit cooler. You might even see some gray undertones in there as well. In our space, it’s the perfect white because we have some natural light that pours in and warms it ever so slightly. For my space, Chantilly Lace ended up being the Goldilocks of white paint colors, I’d say.

What Role Does Lighting Play?

Lighting is so important especially when it comes to white paint colors. Since whites are so heavily affected by their environment, you must take lighting into consideration. If you have north facing windows Chantilly Lace will appear even cooler because of the cool light it casts.

Is Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace right for you?

Benjamin Moore Chantilly lace is one of the popular whites out there. I cannot stress enough how important it is to try paint colors out in all areas of your home with different lighting. Grab a few paint samples, and paint them on the walls in different areas of your space. Then, look at the colors in the morning and in the evening, by natural light and by lamp or mood light. In my space, Chantilly Lace stayed true white under all of these circumstances.

It’s worth noting that Benjamin Moore Chantilly lace is among the most popular white paint colors according to this article by Elle that shares the interior designer’s favorite white paint colors. Others on the list include Sherwin Williams Alabaster, Benjamin Moore White Dove, and Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White.

Examples of Chantilly Lace in Real Spaces

Here’s Chantilly Lace on all of the walls and fireplace in our living room. With the big french doors to the back of the room, it warms the whole space up making Chantilly Lace appear to be a very true white.

In the photo above Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace is used on the board and batten trim work and the interior of the front door.

In the dining room above, you see how Chantilly Lace can read cool, almost gray. those blue/gray undertones are definitely visible in this space above.

In here, we added Chantilly Lace to our board and batten accent wall. It’s so crisp and creamy without turning too cool or too warm.

Picking a Paint Sheen for Chantilly Lace

I almost always paint my walls with either a flat or eggshell sheen. Since my kids were little, I preferred satin because the walls wipe easily. Now that they’re older, I’m moving towards flat or eggshell paint because I prefer a more matte finish.

Chantilly Lace as a trim color

Chantilly Lace makes a great white trim and baseboard paint color. I still prefer satin or semi-gloss on my trim and baseboards because of how easily those sheens wipe up. Originally, we painted every baseboard in our home Behr Ultra Pure White in satin. After we painted the living room Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace we went over all of the trim with the same color in semi-gloss. Chantilly Lace works just as well as trim color as it does as a wall paint color.

How Does Chantilly Lace compare to other popular white paint colors?

Benjamin White Heron is another popular white paint color. We painted our kitchen/dining room, White Heron, before we painted our living room, Chantilly Lace. You’ll see in the picture below that it has a slight green undertone. It’s slightly cooler than Chantilly Lace but still does not have a stark feel.

Chantilly Lace v. White Heron

When the sun is down and the lights are on in this space, Benjamin Moore White Heron’s green undertones are more present. I don’t seem to have that issue with Chantilly Lace. Even with zero natural light, the paint color still feels pure white in our home. It is a color that I think you can be confident in when selecting a pure white.

In Conclusion

I can confidently say that Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace is my go-to white paint color. I love the subtle softness of the color. White paint colors can make a space feel very stark and sterile but Chantilly Lace has a way of warming up a room even though it’s technically a cool white. I love it in our home and I’d use it again and again. Do you have a favorite white paint color you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments!