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Anyone with Elmira White by Benjamin Moore?

4 years ago

Hi! anyone with Elmira white by Benjamin moore? we are planning on painting our open concept living area with this color. if you have it, what color trim did you use?



Comments (36)

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    Slightly different than what you current have on the walls.




  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I painted our previous house with Elmira White. I don't remember the trim color, but it was bright white. This is from the listing photos. We had a lot of trees, and that big window faced southwest, but I'm not sure what time of day this picture was taken. Early afternoon, I think.




  • 4 years ago

    Chiming in to say, that looks like a beautiful color!

  • 4 years ago

    I have it in a lower level bedroom. Nice, soft background color. All the trim in our house is BM Vapor - a soft, creamy white.

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    From what I see on my monitor I would not choose that color with its bit of pink undertone and choose something more pure white and then use the same color for the trim but in a semi gloss

  • 4 years ago

    Like @Patricia Colwell Consulting, "on my monitor" - it's how it looks in YOUR lighting. I have never noticed any pink in Elmira white, even the 2' x 4' posterboard sample I made, and moved around to different rooms in our house.

    Maybe one of the posters who do color science will post the formula here.


  • 4 years ago

    Thank you for the pictures Beverly and Aok!
    I spoke to my painter and he recommends a bright white trim too.
    Mary - thanks for the trim suggestion! And the way you describe Elmira as a nice, soft background color is exactly what I’m looking for.

    Patricia- I have read some people stating there is a pink undertone but I haven’t seen that when I tested it on my wall.

  • 4 years ago

    More pictures of the area we are painting

  • 4 years ago

    Krysta, will your floors be refinished? Do they have a red tone? If, as Patricia says, Elmira White has a pink undertone, a red toned floor may cause it to "jump out" at you.

    @Jennifer Hogan does a very thorough job explaining complicated color situations. Hopefully she will see your post.

  • 4 years ago

    I just painted my bedroom Edgecomb Gray which is close to Elmira White and used Simply White OC-117 for the trim. Chantilly Lace OC-65 is considered to be BM's neutral white. Simply White is warmer than Chantilly Lace.

  • 4 years ago

    Hi Mary - I wasn’t planning on refinishing my floors

  • 4 years ago

    Kandrewspa - I think we may need to go with Chantilly lace!

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    @Krysta K

    I wish neutral colors were easier, but they are not.

    First thing I look at is the LCH of a color (Light/Luminance, Chroma, Hue)

    Here is the color data for Elmira White



    Does it have a pink undertone? With a hue of 87 it is slightly on the orange side of yellow, and orange is what creates a pink undertone.

    The chart below has a block around the Hue of 90 - it is kind of that magic space between pink and green undertones. So it does have a slightly pink undertone, but your other option is to go slightly green.



    Now I want to look at your space. Warning - the internet sucks when it comes to true color rendering.

    I did a bunch of color measurements from your photo.



    Measurements from your sofa range from 79 to 82.

    Your sample of Elmira in the photo measures a hue 82.9 (83). (The photo correction from the internet made it appear darker, more colorful and less pink). The lighter color above is what Elmira measures with perfect lighting and not altered by the internet photo corrections)


    How would I look at the sample if I were testing it in my own home. I would set the sample on the sofa - does it look pink or green in comparison to the sofa or is it pretty darn close to the hues in the sofa? I would place it between the sofa and the area rug. Do I like it with that color combination?

    The saturated orange yellow walls are going to go away, so you don't want to compare the new color to the old wall color.

    New Paint color compared to old paint color - kind of a sickly pink beige



    Wall color next to the things that are staying - this feels much better



    Walls reflect more light than fabric, so don't concern yourself too much that it appears darker then the lightest colors in the sofa.

    Another thing I always do when painting a neutral is I create an extra large sample. (3'x3' or bigger).

    We may not see pink or blue or green when we look at a small sample, but sometimes those sneaky undertones come out as we paint 100 sq ft of wall space. There is a whole lot of wall and your eyes will pick up on things with a large sample or on a wall that are hidden when we look at a smaller sample.

  • 4 years ago

    @Jennifer Hogan
    WOW, thank you so much for the very in depth analysis! This is all so so interesting. Thank you so much!

  • 4 years ago

    @Krysta K - NP - someone very kind mentored me 25 years ago and it has helped me so much over the years. Glad I can pass it forward.

  • 4 years ago

    I got pulled away earlier - meant to give you my 2 cents on whites to go with Elmira.


    I think Chantilly Lace is too cool and will look stark. Simply White is one of my favorite whites and I think will work well with Elmira. White Dove is not one of my favorites, just feels a bit dingy to me compared to my favorite whites, but it is very popular and many people love it. It does look like it would work well with Elmira.


    I added my favorite white Devine Icing. It always looks more yellow on a computer screen than what I see in a room. It is whiter than Chantilly Lace, not quite as white as SW High Reflective White, but warmer than either.


    I also threw in White Flour which I think will look better than White Dove, Chantilly Lace of High Reflective White.


    If I were you I would get samples of Simply White, White Flour and Icing and try them next to Elmira White. (Given that you decide Elmira is "The One".


    To get a sample of Devine Icing ask your BM store to get you a sample of Devine Color Icing V0101W. They have the color formula in their computer.




  • 4 years ago

    @Jennifer Hogan, you are so helpful!!

  • 4 years ago

    @Jennifer Hogan
    Thank you so much !! My painter thought simply white would look yellow , but I’ll talk to him about that and your other trim suggestions! Thank you so much again! So kind of you to provide this much help

  • 4 years ago

    Looks wonderful!

  • 4 years ago

    Reminds me of Edgecombe Gray— very pretty!

  • 4 years ago

    Very pretty! So the walls are now Benjamin Moore Elmira White and which white trim did you end up choosing? I think you said you were choosing BM Chantily Lace but were also considering BM Simply White. Looks so updated and pretty! I love it.

  • 4 years ago

    Susan - my painter said he said had a “standard white” trim that he sampled
    For us and we loved it and we just went with it! It’s definitely brighter/whiter than simply white

  • 4 years ago

    Krysta K, thank you for letting me know. I love the bright white with the BM Elmira White Walls. I usually also use bright white on my trim.

  • 4 years ago

    The room looks fantastic. I am replacing Shaker Beige walls and was considering Edgecomb Gray but now this colour looks to have a bit more beige which is what I was looking for so can I ask if you notice Elmira White leans more beige and also does it change with lighting during the day and night. Thank you.

  • 4 years ago

    Brian- definitely leans more beige. In my north facing room it definitely can look a little gray at certain times of the day , but overall it’s very beige

  • 4 years ago

    This is a pic I snapped a few days ago in our south facing foyer during the day

  • 4 years ago

    A different time of day in the same foyer

  • 4 years ago

    North facing room

  • 4 years ago

    Do you notice any type of pink, peach or yellowness as some have mentioned. I see none of that in your pictures but wanted to check. Thanks.

  • 4 years ago

    Brian- I don’t ever see any pink or peach. I have occasionally seen slight yellow in my
    South facing foyer, but usually i don’t see any
    It’s such a beautiful color, I really love it!

  • 4 years ago

    We will be doing with Elmira White. Thanks for all your help. Appreciate the pictures and your feedback.

  • 4 years ago

    I’m happy to hear that! Good luck!

  • 3 years ago

    Krysta K did you get the actual name of the white trim color your painter used? It would be really helpful if you posted it here for the people who continue to reference your thread and photos. Plus, you'll need to know this info for touch-up paint when your baseboards get dinged by vacuuming!

  • 3 years ago

    I am a designer who has used Elmira White in a few projects. I like it with Simply White.
    Elmira White is a good neutral for an open floor plan. I also like Mayonnaise for trim for an open floor plan, warm and inviting.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    It’s nearly time to place our order for cabinetry for our kitchen renovation We are considering using Elmira White on base cabinets. My challenge is the kitchen needs to keep existing warm marble flooring used throughout the residence, but the rest of the residence utilizes a cool palette with Chantilly Lace on all walls except for two highly-saturated cool hues used as accents on select areas in the main level living spaces: Big Country Blue and Cabana Green. All paint by Ben Moore.


    Our interior designer suggested using Elmira White cabinetry nearest the warm marble flooring paired with Decorator’s White for upper kitchen cabinetry. The sun-drenched U-shapped kitchen has a bank of southern exposure floor-to-ceiling glass sliders on the only non-cabinetry wall and connects visually to the LR/DR with stunning waterfront views on both east and south elevations.


    I’m much happier in cool palette spaces. I‘m struggling with using Elmira White and Decorator’s White as I feel like I’d be surrounded by warm hues. If it were not for the warm/cool conundrum, I would choose to continue with the Chantilly Lace for all cabinetry and keep everything in a cool hue palette with white marble counters and light grey veining. However, I do realize that would cause a palette disconnect with all materials in cool hues atop warm marble flooring. I’m also mindful of color flow throughout the residence.


    Any alternative suggestions for cabinetry in Ben Moore paint colors that would allow me to have the look and feel of a cool white kitchen yet still play nicely with the warm flooring?


    Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances have been ordered in brushed stainless. Note: some cabinetry sections are being done in tall verticals; those would have to be done in either the base or the upper cabinetry color—which would you suggest, the warmer or cool hue?