Carolina Gull is an on-trend sage green color that hasn’t been used in a million homes yet! Truly this is one of the most underrated sages on the market. I looked up the Google trend line for the last 5 years, and there’s not a whole lot going on there.
If you’re wondering why, I have no idea! It’s subtle, versatile, and probably goes with your existing colors and decor.
Let’s take a look at everything Carolina Gull, from coordinating colors to dupes from other brands. (And of course, see it in some real homes!)
What Color is Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull? (2138-40)
Like most gray greens, Carolina Gull looks far more green in real life than it does on the swatch. You could almost be fooled into thinking it is equal parts gray and green, but as you will see in a moment, it is definitely green on the wall.
I would say that Carolina Gull is a pretty accurate sage color, with a bit more life and brightness than other options.
LRV of Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull
Carolina Gull is right in the mid-toned color range. It has an LRV of 26.37.
What’s an LRV again?
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.
26 might sound pretty dark on a scale from 0 to 100, but in my opinion, truly dark colors have an LRV of about 10 or less. Carolina Gull is right in the medium color range.
What Are the Undertones of Carolina Gull?
Unlike a lot of sage colors that have a hint of yellow, Carolina Gull is truly in the green section of the color wheel. Thanks to that extra dash of gray, it can sometimes give off a blue-ish undertone.
Is Carolina Gull Warm or Cool?
I would say that Carolina Gull most often looks cool. Greens are hard, because they are generally pretty neutral.
If you are looking for a cool gray-green sage color, then Carolina Gull will probably appeal to you!
If you want a sage color with just a hint of warmth, you might consider Benjamin Moore Vintage Vogue, or Sherwin Williams Rosemary.
Carolina Gull Color Strip – Benjamin Moore 2138
Benjamin Moore’s 2138 strip is chock full of great colors!
I didn’t use these on my coordinating color palette, but you could totally pick one of these lighter shades for most of your home, and use Carolina Gull as an accent.
Lighter Version of Carolina Gull
First up, if you are interested in Carolina Gull but it’s a bit too dark for you, one shade lighter on the same strip is Benjamin Moore Misted Green (2138-50).
I actually have a few photos of Misted Green in my Green Kitchen Cabinets post.
Darker Version of Carolina Gull
One shade down from Carolina Gull is 2138-30 Mohegan Sage. I don’t know about you, but to me it’s a pretty jarring difference between Mohegan Sage and Carolina Gull!
In real life, Mohegan Sage doesn’t have as much of the olivey tone that the tiny little square seems to. It is quite a lot darker than Carolina Gull with an LRV of 10.5.
If this one is too dark for you, I have a few similar colors in my comparisons below that might work!
The rest of the color strip consists of:
Benjamin Moore Gray Lake (2138-70)
Benjamin Moore Gray Cashmere (2138-60)
Benjamin Moore Green Grove (2138-20)
Benjamin Moore Southern Vine (2138-10)
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull Color Palette
Here is a classic neutral color palette using Carolina Gull:
Carolina Gull Coordinating Colors
Benjamin Moore Simply White (OC-117 or 2143-70)
Simply White has really been growing on me! It’s a warm white, but still one of the lightest and brightest that Benjamin Moore offers.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak (OC-20)
Pale Oak is quickly becoming one of Benjamin Moore’s most popular neutrals. It is a warm departure from gray, which is the trend, but it’s not super duper warm, and it’s still plenty light.
Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (HC-154)
All hail Hale Navy! This color is the OG Benjamin Moore Navy, because it looks good with everything.
(And Carolina Gull does love a navy!)
Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green (HC-187)
Black Forest Green is so rich and dark that it has an LRV lower than many true black paint colors! It has just a hint of moody blue-green undertones, so it’s a nice alternative to a black black.
Of course if a solid neutral black is more your style, Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black would be a great choice.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl (OC-52 or 2137-60)
Gray Owl is a popular chameleon-esque neutral from Benjamin Moore. Is it gray? Beige? Green? Only your light can tell you!
Carolina Gull Complementary Colors
The technical “official” across-the-color-wheel complementary color for a sage green like Carolina Gull, would be a terracotta color.
I swiped this palette from another post because it included Sherwin Williams Cavern Clay, which is a great clay terracotta option.
Chimney by Behr is another sort of navy color that leans to charcoal, and could be a really nice option with Carolina Gull. (Benjamin Moore Soot is very similar.)
What Trim Colors Go With Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull?
Because Carolina Gull is a classic Victorian color, it will pair well with not just white trim, but wood trim too.
White Paint that Goes with Carolina Gull
Here are a few shades of white that all work well with BM Carolina Gull:
Carolina Gull and Cloud White
Cloud White is a super popular Benjamin Moore white. It’s a little yellow for my taste, but its creamy tones work well with either a soft color palette, or a traditional Victorian color scheme.
Carolina Gull and Simply White
You might recognize Simply White from my color palette! This white is the best of both, warmer, but still light.
Carolina Gull and Chantilly Lace
I have a special place in my heart for Chantilly Lace – in fact, I’ve written a whole post about it! It’s a nice clean white with just a touch of softness. It’s technically a green white, so I love putting it with other greens!
Carolina Gull and Sherwin Williams High Reflective White
High Reflective White is the best and the blinding-est when it comes to super crisp whites.
Carolina Gull For Doors and Trim
It is very of-the-moment to use your wall color for your trim and doors as well. So if you’re feeling bold, you could give that a shot. (I have a pretty good inspo photo for that under color comparisons, which we will cover in just a minute.)
Sage green in general is a popular choice for contrasting trim right now.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull Home Interior
The downside to choosing colors that aren’t too popular, is that it’s really hard to get inspo photos! I have a great exterior to show you that will really give you a good idea of how Carolina Gull looks, but I’m pretty limited indoors.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull Living Room Built-Ins
This set of gorgeous built-ins has been painted in Carolina Gull:
You can really see how good Carolina Gull looks with navy! This one is Benjamin Moore Evening Dove.
I talk a little bit about Evening Dove in my Warm Blue Gray Paint Colors post.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull on Kitchen Cabinets
I do have Carolina Gull in a few kitchens. Here it is on cabinets with warm butcher block countertops:
I love the simplicity of this look! :
Next up, a couple of kitchens by my besties over at Oak Story Design.
(Okay yes, it’s a one-sided bestieship.)
In this kitchen, Carolina Gull looks a little warmer. I’m not sure if it’s the lighting, all of the warm wood, or something else.
Here is Carolina Gull on a kitchen island with cabinets:
The team at Oak Story chose Sherwin Williams Shoji White for this kitchen, which is a warm off-white.
See how cool and gray Carolina Gull looks in that kitchen? I find gray green colors are often chameleons like this.
If you happen to be here looking for the perfect color for your cabinets, check out my post: The Best Colors for Sage Green Kitchen Cabinets (To Get the Look You Want!)
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull Exterior
Thanks to Word of Mouth Painting, I have a fantastic Carolina Gull exterior to show you, in all different lighting.
Love the pink door!
At first I thought the trim was navy blue:
See what I mean? It is actually just the lighting, and it is a deep charcoal called Wrought Iron by Benjamin Moore.
This picture is a little more true to tone:
(If you happen to want a dark blue that toes the line between navy and charcoal, check out Sherwin Williams Cyberspace.)
For the creamy white on the window trim and soffits, they used Benjamin Moore Sea Shell.
This is the one exterior photo where I feel like Carolina Gull looks warm:
One more for good measure:
I thought for sure that Carolina Gull would be easy to find on a front door, but it wasn’t!
I didn’t want to leave you empty handed, so here is a similar color on a front door:
Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze is a similar gray green color that looks great with cream, navy, or really most exterior colors. (We will see that compared to Carolina Gull right away.)
I think Carolina Gull would be the same. I can’t think of any exterior colors that it would clash with.
Carolina Gull Compared to Other Benjamin Moore Paint Colors
Greens are having a moment, so there are a lot of classy sage greens to choose from. Here is how Carolina Gull stacks up against a few other popular Benjamin Moore colors.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs Cushing Green (HC-125)
Cushing Green is a rich mid-toned green from Benjamin Moore that is darker than Carolina Gull. It is also a more saturated green color.
The LRV of Cushing Green is 16.23.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs Flora (AF-470)
Benjamin Moore Flora is another gray green color, but it is significantly lighter than Carolina Gull, and less gray.
Flora has an LRV of 39.18. (This is not the same as the Valspar color Flora, which is a very dark warm green.)
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs Intrigue (1580)
Benjamin Moore Intrigue is pretty similar to Carolina Gull. It is a little bit darker with an LRV of 23.38, and it is also cooler and more gray.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs October Mist (1495 or CC-50)
With an LRV of 46.33, October Mist is quite a lot lighter than Carolina Gull, but it has a similar sage effect.
Here it is in action:
And one in low light:
Not as far off from Carolina Gull as you might have thought! However, you can definitely tell that October Mist is warmer.
Carolina Gull in Sherwin Williams
For this particular color, I was not able to get as close to an exact match in Sherwin Williams as I normally can.
I did find a few options that live in the same neighbourhood, and they still come reasonably close.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs Sherwin Williams Retreat (SW 6207)
Sherwin Williams Retreat is probably the best match to Carolina Gull by a slim margin. I have seen both on kitchen cabinets and I think they look very similar to one another.
At the very least, you will like Retreat if you like Carolina Gull.
Retreat is darker than Carolina Gull, with an LRV of 21.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs Sherwin Williams Privilege Green (SW 6193)
Sherwin Williams Privilege Green looks less like Carolina Gull on the swatch than in real life. It is a tiny bit darker and cooler, as well as a touch less gray:
I do think the sheen on the cabinets and the bright lighting is making Privilege Green look a bit paler and mintier than normal, but still, quite a close match for Carolina Gull.
In general I would say that Privilege is more overtly green than Carolina Gull.
The LRV of Privilege Green is 23.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze (SW 9132)
Sherwin Williams Acacia Haze is lighter than Carolina Gull, with an LRV of 32. It is also a little bit more gray.
Acacia Haze could be the perfect choice if you are considering Carolina Gull, but want a lighter option. Being a little more neutral might even earn it some bonus points.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs Sherwin Williams Willowleaf (SW 9649)
First of all, the fact that it is called Willowleaf and not Willow Leaf is really throwing me off. So forgive me if I get it wrong at some point!
Sherwin Williams Willowleaf is maybe not the closest match to Carolina Gull, but it’s not bad, and it’s just soooo pretty that I had to include it!
It is a little darker, a lot warmer, and a touch more gray than Carolina Gull.
In real life, Willowleaf might be what you were expecting from the Carolina Gull color chip, had you never seen the color in person. I will try to scrounge up some photos, but let me just say that it really isn’t olivey, despite how it looks.
The LRV of Willowleaf is 24.
Valspar Equivalent to Carolina Gull – Lattice Green (5003-2A)
Valspar’s Cottage Lattice Green is a pretty good dupe for Carolina Gull. It is a little bit darker, with an LRV of 22.135, and a little bit warmer.
Carolina Gull Behr Equivalent (Home Depot)
I actually found a couple of solid dupe options from Behr! Let’s take a look:
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs Behr Eucalyptus Wreath (N390-5)
The closest Behr color match to Carolina Gull is Eucalyptus Wreath.
Eucalyptus Wreath has an LRV of 27, so it is just a hair lighter than Carolina Gull. You can also see that it is a little warmer and less gray.
All in all it’s a pretty good match!
(Speaking of eucalyptus, check out my post: The BEST Eucalyptus Green Colors From Every Brand!)
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs Behr Village Green (N410-5)
Village Green is another pretty good dupe for Carolina Gull, but in different ways. This color has an LRV of 23, so it is a bit darker than Carolina Gull. It is also a little cooler and more gray.
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull vs Behr Heritage Park
I wanted to include Behr Heritage Park in this post, because even though it isn’t a super close match, it’s the first color I thought of when I started looking for dupes.
Heritage Park is a fair bit cooler and darker than Carolina Gull, but I feel like the two have a similar feel.
The LRV of Heritage Park is 19.
Why Isn’t Carolina Gull Popular?
Let’s recap what we know so far:
Benjamin Moore Carolina Gull is a gorgeous gray green that works great with a lot of other colors. It is most often paired with creamy whites and navy blue.
It is ideal for an exterior if you want to choose a color instead of a typical neutral, while also sticking to tradition.
So why isn’t anyone using it?
Here’s the thing with paint colors: People see a color they like, they look for more pictures, and they only find enough to make the decision if the color is already popular. It’s the same with SW Whitetail. It’s a great white, very similar to mega popular colors, but nobody is using it.
Carolina Gull is great if you want to dive into sage green, but you don’t want to have the same color as everybody else. I think its a versatile on-trend shade that might still get its day in the sun.
Want more? I’ve got it!
