We have officially closed out a whole year of Benjamin Moore’s Aegean Teal! It was declared their “Color of the Year” for 2021.
Let’s take a look at how it started, and how it’s going! (And boy is it still going!)
I will share Aegean Teal in real homes, make some comparisons, and find you color matches to other brands.
(And don’t you worry, I’ve got Aegean Teal on kitchen cabinets!)
This post may contain affiliate links. Should you choose to make a purchase through one of my links, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. I only recommend products that I use.
What Color is Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal (2136-40)
Don’t listen to me, listen to Benjamin Moore! They say:
“A blend of blue-green and gray, Aegean Teal 2136-40 is an intriguing midtone that creates natural harmony.”
Is Aegean Teal Green or Blue?
Teal by definition is blue and green. As far as teal colors go, I would definitely say that Aegean Teal is more blue.
It’s a greenish blue, and not a blueish green, if that makes sense.
What Are the Undertones of Aegean Teal
Aegean Teal is blue with green and gray undertones. Although, I don’t know that I would even say undertones, because both are pretty up front.
Is Aegean Teal Warm or Cool
From a strictly technical perspective, Aegean Teal is a cool color.
So much about color is subjective though, and because Aegean Teal has some additional yellow in it (creating green), it is warmer than true blues.
LRV & RGB of Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal
The LRV of a color indicates on a scale of 0 – 100 how much light a color reflects (or doesn’t reflect). True black has an LRV of 0 and pure white has an LRV of 100.
In the paint world, we are working in a range of about 3 – 93 because no paint color is purely black or completely white.
The LRV of Aegean Teal is 23.96 (basically 24).
That may sound pretty dark, but in my opinion, truly dark paint colors have an LRV of about 10 or less.
Benjamin Moore does not share their color formulas or hex codes, unlike Sherwin Williams and Valspar, so we are left to guess.
I don’t trust my own eyeballs, so I relied on the estimate by encycolorpedia. They say that Aegean Teal has an RGB of : Red – 112 Green – 138 Blue – 140.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal Color Palette
First up, let’s take a look at the rest of the Aegean Teal color strip (Benjamin Moore 2136).
Aegean Teal Color Strip
Whispering Spring (2136-70) LRV 79.37
Harbor Haze (2136-60) LRV 63.48
Colorado Gray (2136-50) LRV 44.4
Amazon Green (2136-30) LRV 8.24
Regent Green (2136-20) LRV 4.19
Black Knight (2136-10) LRV 2.72
Lighter Version of Aegean Teal
You can see that one shade lighter than Aegean Teal is Benjamin Moore Colorado Gray.
I will warn you that Colorado Gray can look powder blue, and not really teal at all depending on the lighting.
If you want something that definitely looks teal or aqua, you might want to consider a color with a little more green, like Benjamin Moore Sea Star.
(More on Sea Star in just a minute.)
One Shade Darker Than Aegean Teal
One shade darker than Aegean Teal is Benjamin Moore Amazon Green. This color does tend to be a rich teal color, so no substitute necessary!
Aegean Teal Complementary & Coordinating Colors
I did things a little differently this time, and made a graphic of all the colors that designers most often like to use with Aegean Teal:
Aegean Teal with Navy Blue
For the navy blue here, I chose Benjamin Moore’s famous Hale Navy.
Aegean Teal and Gray Cashmere
Gray Cashmere is a soft grayish green color. It has a beachy seagrass kind of vibe.
Aegean Teal and Revere Pewter
Revere Pewter is the OG neutral from Benjamin Moore. It’s super popular and does look great with Aegean Teal.
Aegean Teal and Gray Owl
Gray Owl is a soft greige color from Benjamin Moore. It’s a nice sandy color if you are going for a beachy or coastal vibe with Aegean Teal.
Aegean Teal and White Dove
White Dove is one of Benjamin Moore’s all-time most popular whites.
Aegean Teal and Chantilly Lace
Chantilly Lace is my personal favorite white paint color! It’s a very clean white without any obvious undertone, and just a hint of warmth.
(Read my post about Chantilly Lace)
Benjamin Moore Recommended Aegean Teal Coordinating Colors
Per Benjamin Moore, Aegean Teal coordinates well with: Salisbury Green (sage) and Sweet Spring (beige).
Alternatively they suggest Tulsa Twlight (Black) and Winterwood (greige).
I included these in the brushstrokes on that mega palette.
Aegean Teal Coastal and Beachy Color Palette
Here is a palette I put together with mostly the same colors as above:
The only addition to this palette is Benjamin Moore Stratton Blue, which adds an additional mid-toned blue green to the mix.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal and Pink (or Coral)
A lot of people are curious about using Aegean Teal with pink, salmon, or coral.
Luckily, they look great together!
Isn’t that living room bold color goals?
I am not sure what pink Lisa from @lgdesign13 used, but it looks similar to Benjamin Moore’s Pleasant Pink.
I do know that the white is Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White, and of course the fireplace and built-ins are Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal.
Here is Aegean Teal in a bedroom with some coral accents:
Also lucky for us, Stacey from @turquoisebydesign has used Aegean Teal a whole lot, so you will be seeing more from her in this post!
What Trim Colors Go With Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal?
In general, Aegean Teal is paired with white trim. That runs the full range from creamy white to bright white.
If you wanted to go out on a limb, Urbane Bronze or dark wood trim would also look great with Aegean Teal!
What White Paint Goes with Aegean Teal?
Well I’m glad you asked! Here are the most popular whites to pair with Aegean Teal:
- Aegean Teal and White Dove
- Aegean Teal and Simply White
- Aegean Teal and Atrium White
- Aegean Teal and Chantilly Lace
Here is a mock-up of how each could look:
I like Chantilly Lace or Simply White the best with Aegean Teal, but it is bold enough that any of these colors will look nice and white against it.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal Living Room
First up, here is another view of that Aegean Teal and pink living room, this time from the foyer:
I love a good wallpaper!
Here is one final look from the adjoining all-white dining room:
Not to be outdone, Stacey has also painted out a fireplace in a cozy living room with Aegean Teal:
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal Accent Wall
Aegean Teal is really too dark to be considered for a whole home color, so you will most often find it on accent walls.
Here it is in a gorgeous home office!
For the other walls this designer chose Sherwin Williams Alabaster, and for the window trim: Benjamin Moore Soot.
Here is one more look!
Fun, functional, and funky!
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal Cabinets
Remember that Gray Cashmere is a popular partner for Aegean Teal? Here are the two in action! :
The team at Cripps and Sons made the island in Aegean Teal and the rest of the cabinets in Gray Cashmere.
This next kitchen will have you giving Archetype Designs a little golf clap. It is dripping in mid century charm!
The white is Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace.
They chose a dark walnut butcher block for the island, and a light stone for the rest of the countertops.
These just so happen to be the two top picks for countertops out of all of the kitchens that I covered in my Trend-Setting Green Kitchen Cabinets post too!
I mean…it looks so good I want to eat it!
If you have oak cabinets and you really don’t want to repaint them, Aegean Teal does work very well with warm wood. If you are looking for a new kitchen wall color, take it for a spin!
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal Bedroom
It’s funny how different colors are popular for different purposes. I usually struggle to find bolder colors in the bedroom, but Aegean Teal was all over them!
First up, let’s take a look at this little tot’s space. This is from the same designer (@diy.design.dmv) that put Aegean Teal in that funky office.
Aegean Teal looks fabulous with those pops of mustard!
Next is a soothing two toned space by Rachelle Wall from @wall.to.wall.designs :
Excuse me while I add this to my Ridiculously Chic Two Colour Combinations for Bedroom Walls post!
(JK I’ll do it later.)
Rachelle also opted to add pops of color with these orange/camel accents.
The light blue is Benjamin Moore Gossamer Blue.
One last bedroom for you, which you caught a glimpse of earlier:
Isn’t that wallpaper everything?? Stacey says it was a teen’s room, but I would happily sleep there myself.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal Vanity
If you are thinking about adding Aegean Teal to your bathroom, this vanity says “do it!”
The kitchens we saw didn’t use gold hardware, but you should definitely consider it!
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal Exterior
For every color that I cover, people want to know what it looks like on an exterior!
I aim to please, but Aegean Teal exteriors are a bit hard to come by!
In the end I figured it’s more important to try and picture it, than it is to have exactly the right shade of teal, so here are some teal exteriors that are similar to Aegean Teal.
I will definitely keep looking, but some of these are pretty close!
This one is so close that it will give you a really good idea of how Aegean Teal would look on an exterior.
I actually don’t know that this vinyl siding isn’t Aegean Teal. I just don’t know what color it is either.
Next, a colour that I do know!
Wesley Hill used Benjamin Moore Dark Teal on his home’s exterior:
The trim is Steamed Milk, and the porch and stairs are Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze.
How does Dark Teal compare to Aegean Teal?
Dark Teal is a good bit darker than Aegean, it has an LRV of just 8 compared to 24. It also has zero gray in it.
As far as the color family, it is actually in the exact same cyan range, so just picture this home a little lighter and smokier.
Last up in fake Aegean Teal exteriors, is this chic little number:
Again, I don’t even know for sure that this isn’t Aegean Teal, it looks pretty darn close! If I had to guess, this is still a bit darker.
How does this help?
Now we know that Aegean Teal looks great on shake siding or vinyl siding, and it also looks really good with brick!
For exterior trim, try a warm white, or SW Urbane Bronze.
(Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal could also work!)
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal Front Door
Now how do I even know what Aegean Teal looks like on exteriors??
Well I do have a couple of front doors to show you.
(And yes, these are actually Aegean Teal.)
This first door is mostly in the shadows, so it looks pretty true to tone.
Please take a moment to appreciate the gunmetal gray hardware! Not a very common choice, but I love it!
Next up, this door must be in very bright daylight:
Possibly due to the white siding in the area, this second door has lost a bit of its teal-ness. It looks closer to the lighter shade Colorado Blue here.
I was pretty surprised that Aegean Teal isn’t on doors left and right! Usually that is one of the easiest places to find bold shades.
I didn’t find a single wider shot of Aegean Teal on the front door, so here is Sherwin Williams Oyster Bay, because that’s the closest thing I have:
Just to give you an idea!
If you do like Oyster Bay, there is plenty more where that came from in my Ultra Sophisticated Gray Green Paint Colors post
Aegean Teal Similar Shades from Benjamin Moore
Okay, let’s hop into some long-awaited comparisons!
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal vs Wythe Blue (HC-143)
Wythe Blue is significantly lighter and more green than Aegean Teal. It is also slightly more gray.
It’s funny that the color is named Wythe “Blue” because it’s definitely more green than blue.
The LRV of Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue is 48.69.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal vs Stratton Blue (HC-142)
Stratton Blue is also a lot lighter and more green than Aegean Teal. It splits the difference between Wythe Blue and Aegean Teal.
The LRV of Benjamin Moore Stratton Blue is 37.11.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal vs Wedgewood Gray (HC-146)
Wedgewood Gray has an LRV of 50.01, so it is a LOT lighter than Aegean Teal. It is even lighter than Wythe Blue and Stratton Blue.
While Wedgewood Gray is still more green than Aegean Teal, it is still in the blue (cyan) color family.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal vs Sea Star (2123-30)
Benjamin Moore Sea Star is still lighter than Aegean Teal, and a little more green (but still a blue).
Sea Star is also slightly more gray than Aegean Teal.
I think this could be a really good option if you are looking for a lighter version of Aegean Teal but Colorado Gray isn’t working for you. The extra hint of green in Sea Star sticks to the aquatic theme.
The LRV of Sea Star is 32.13, so it is also midway between Aegean Teal (23.96) and Colorado Gray (44.4) in terms of lightness.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal vs Caribbean Teal (2123-20)
Benjamin Moore Caribbean Teal is getting much closer to Aegean Teal!
Caribbean Teal has an LRV of 18.4, so it is a little darker than Aegean. It is also a tiny bit more green, so it is like a deep aqua color, where Aegean Teal is still a bluer teal.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal vs Buxton Blue (HC-149)
Benjamin Moore Buxton Blue is finally a color that is more blue than Aegean Teal. It is also a lot lighter, and maybe a smidgeon less gray.
The LRV of Buxton Blue is 45.03.
Buxton Blue is almost like a darker and more subtle robin’s egg blue.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal Dupes
Now let’s take a look at some Aegean Teal dupes from other brands! First up is Sherwin Williams.
Aegean Teal Sherwin Williams Version
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal vs Sherwin Williams Moody Blue (SW 6221)
Sherwin Williams Moody Blue is often touted as their equivalent of Aegean Teal, and it is actually quite similar.
It ended up being the closest Sherwin Williams color that I could find, and that almost never happens where a dupe is just handed to me!
Moody Blue sort of dances around the area occupied by Aegean Teal, but isn’t quite there.
Moody Blue is a tiny bit more blue, a tiny bit lighter, and a tiny bit less gray than Aegean Teal.
The LRV of Moody Blue is 27. I would have liked to get a little closer to Aegean Teal, but I really couldn’t.
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal vs Sherwin Williams Mediterranean (SW 7617)
If you stop by here often, you will learn that I just don’t know how to take a W.
I still spent a good hour sifting through Sherwin Williams colors, SURE that I could get closer than Moody Blue.
I could not, but I did find Sherwin Williams Mediterranean!
If there was a lighter version of Mediterranean, I think that would be the perfect SW dupe for Aegean Teal.
Unfortunately, Mediterranean is in the Sherwin Williams Timeless collection, which means it is grouped with kind of similar colors, but they don’t do full strips from light to dark.
The LRV of Mediterranean is 18.
All in all, it is still very similar to Aegean Teal, and I personally like it a bit better than Moody Blue. I feel Aegean Teal is borderline too blue to be teal already, and Moody Blue is a little bluer still.
SW Mediterranean is definitely teal!
Valspar Equivalent to Aegean Teal
Allow me to take just one moment to say that I LOVE Valspar’s website so much!
Other paint brands make it so difficult to browse all the colors (*cough* Behr *cough*), but with Valspar you can quickly pick a color family or two and sort lightest to darkest or vice versa.
Finding great dupes in Valspar is so easy!
(And no…they don’t even pay me to say that!)
Anyways!
Aegean Teal Alternative – Valspar Northern Juniper (5001-4B)
Valspar’s Northern Juniper is a great duplicate for Benjamin Moore’s Aegean Teal!
It’s definitely the closest thing that they have, because I looked through it all!
Northern Juniper is just the teensiest weensiest bit more gray, more green, and darker than Aegean Teal.
At face value, you will notice that they are almost the same but Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal just “pops” a little bit more.
The LRV of Northern Juniper is 21.35.
Aegean Teal Valspar Second Alternative – Water’s Edge (5003-6A)
Okay hear me out!
No it’s not nearly perfect, but I wanted to share Water’s Edge as another Valspar alternative, in the off-chance that you would rather go bolder than more muted.
Northern Juniper is pretty close to perfect, but if you were disappointed that it is a touch more subtle than Aegean Teal, you might like Water’s Edge!
I personally think Water’s Edge is a gorgeous color! It is lighter than Aegean Teal by a very marginal amount. The LRV is 25.25 compared to 23.96.
Valspar Water’s Edge does have a bit more green to it, but it is still a blue. It is also more saturated (less gray) which is what makes it not quite a dupe, but perhaps a more fun color than Northern Juniper.
Aegean Teal Behr Equivalent
It’s not every day that I find a dupe as perfect as this one from Behr!
Are you ready for it?
Behr Aegean Teal Color Match – Polaris Blue (PPU13-06)
Behr Polaris Blue is an exact match to Benjamin Moore’s Aegean Teal.
According to the hex codes on the internet (which unfortunately we have to trust because Benjamin Moore doesn’t share their hex codes, or even RBG), Polaris Blue is just one number off of Aegean Teal, 111 Red instead of 112.
Now not only is that difference impossible to pick up with the naked eye, we can’t even say for sure that there is a one number difference, because of having to guess at Benjamin Moore’s color codes.
If you want a perfect match for Aegean Teal at Home Depot, it’s Polaris Blue!
Benjamin Moore Aegean Teal vs Behr Venus Teal (PPU13-8)
Behr Venus Teal is a popular teal that is often compared to Aegean Teal, so even though they are not all that similar, I wanted to show them together.
Like most of the other teals in this post, Venus Teal is lighter and more green than Aegean Teal. Its LRV is 34.
Venus Teal also does not have much gray in it. It is more of a true blue-green.
Having said that, Venus Teal is a super pretty teal color by Behr!
Don’t Forget Your Supplies!
This little brush might look funny, but it’s my absolute ride or die!
Rollers like these hold the most paint and make the job faster. Get a metal roller cage for easy on and off.
DryDex is the fastest (and funnest!) way to make chips and dents disappear. (Make sure you get a small spackling tool that actually fits in the container, and a sanding sponge.)
This tool will save your back and limit time on a ladder.
Aegean Teal Moody Final Thoughts
Wow! That was a lot of teal on teal on teal!
Here is a quick summary:
- Aegean Teal is a great mid-toned blue green color, that leans more blue
- Aegean Teal can totally work on cabinets, accent walls, and exteriors, but it’s a bit much for every wall
- Aegean Teal is the perfect color for a beachy coastal theme, or for a mid-century modern color palette
If Aegean Teal is not quite the one for you, check out these other posts!
More Colors
