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8 Coordinating Colors to Use with Cinnamon Slate (Benjamin Moore 2025 Color of the Year)

    Cinnamon Slate is a mauvey brown with surprising versatility! Here we will take a look at 8 colors that you can use with this recently announced “Color of the Year” including Benjamin Moore’s own recommendations.

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate on a painted dresser.
    Photo Credit: @julie_simpleredesign

    Cinnamon Slate is an interesting choice for color of the year. Only time will tell if this color strikes the right note, or if it goes the way of Sherwin Williams Redend Point, which never really found mainstream popularity. (At least not yet.)

    Looking for 2024? Here’s a summary of other recent colors of the year!

    I happen to like interesting neutrals that lean pink, purple, or terracotta, so let’s take a look at this one!

    Cinnamon Slate on a wall with a gallery pf photos over top

    What Are the Undertones of Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate?

    Despite the name, Cinnamon Slate isn’t very gray. It is a mauvey purple with a slightly brown undertone. Benjamin Moore themselves, describes it this way:

    For once I agree! Cinnamon Slate is a velvety plum color.

    The LRV of Cinnamon Slate is 19.71 which puts it at the dark end of mid-toned paint colors.

    The LRV of Cinnamon Slate plotted at 20 on an LRV chart where 0 is pure black and 100 is pure white. Background is a mauvey colored crystal.

    Truly dark paint colors tend to have an LRV of 10 or less.

    Here is a look at all of the shades on the Cinnamon Slate color strip:

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate color strip features shades from light to dark: Antique Pearl, Porcelain, Mauve Desert, Cinnamon Slate, Bison Brown, Pine Cone Brown, and Chocolate Sundae.

    While these shades are all variations of purple, they are about as neutral as violet can get!

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate in a Color Palette

    Here are the coordinating colors that I recommend to use with Cinnamon Slate.

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate on a wall with a color palette over top arranged on paint lids. Colors in addition to Cinnamon Slate are: Revere Pewter, Gray Owl, Soot, and White Dove.

    I went pretty neutral with this color palette, because if you choose a bold and specific shade like Cinnamon Slate, simple is often best.

    Coordinating White Paint Color for Cinnamon Slate

    I recommend pairing Cinnamon Slate with a warm creamy white like Benjamin Moore White Dove.

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate swatched on a paint lid beside coordinating color White Dove

    This white tends to have neutral beige undertones that keep it warm without looking yellow.

    Cinnamon Slate is dark enough that most white paint colors will work with it, but I think a warm white is more complementary.

    Try Cinnamon Slate with Benjamin Moore Soot

    The beautiful blue charcoal of Soot is a great way to introduce another color with Cinnamon Slate, but in a very subtle way.

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate swatched on a paint lid beside coordinating color Soot

    This choice might be a bit of a cheat, because I happen to think that Soot looks great with anything!

    To help your imagination, here is the rosy-mauve of Sulking Room Pink with an adjoining room in a navy-charcoal:

    Sulking room pink in a study across a dark hallway
    Photo Credit: @thejordansathome

    Not quite the same colors, but you get the idea!

    Neutral Paint Color to Use with Cinnamon Slate

    I suspect that Cinnamon Slate will actually work well with most warm beiges or mushroom colors. You could also pair it with gray, but that may be a trickier combo.

    For a versatile greige, try pairing Cinnamon Slate with the OG favorite neutral: Revere Pewter.

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate swatched on a paint lid beside coordinating color Revere Pewter

    For an interesting alternative to beige, you might like Benjamin Moore Gray Owl.

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate swatched on a paint lid beside coordinating color Gray Owl

    Gray Owl is an interesting greige color with a subtle green undertone. Green is complementary to purple, so this pair is a match made in color wheel heaven!

    Benjamin Moore Recommends These Coordinating Colors

    Benjamin Moore went quite monochromatic with their color palette for Cinnamon Slate:

    Benjamin Moore recommended coordinating color palette for Cinnamon Slate includes Calm, Cloud Cover, Porcelain, and Chambourd alongside Cinnamon Slate, all swatched on paint lids over a mauvey swirling paint background.

    Pair Cinnamon Slate and Benjamin Moore Calm

    Calm is an off white paint color that ranges in appearance from silvery gray to a very light creamy beige.

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate swatched on a paint lid beside coordinating color Calm

    It will work well with most other paint colors…including Cinnamon Slate! If you like this color, you will also love Benjamin Moore Classic Gray!

    Use Cinnamon Slate with Cloud Cover

    Cloud Cover is an even warmer white than my suggestion of White Dove:

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate swatched on a paint lid beside coordinating color Cloud Cover

    With an LRV of 80, Cloud Cover is technically an off-white, but just barely. Cloud Cover ranges in appearance from a true neutral white, to a creamy off white with a slightly peachy undertone.

    Try Cinnamon Slate with Lighter and Darker Mauves

    Benjamin Moore suggest pairing Cinnamon Slate with the color Porcelain, which is two shades lighter on the same color strip.

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate swatched on a paint lid beside coordinating color Porcelain

    With a color as “specific” as Cinnamon Slate, sometimes using lighter and darker variants of the same thing is a great idea.

    The trend continues with the coordinating color Chambourd:

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate swatched on a paint lid beside coordinating color Chambourd

    Chambourd is an interesting color that is somewhere between an ultra dark chocolate brown and plum. It works well as a darker version of Cinnamon Slate, despite not being on the same color strip.

    Here are all of the coordinating colors again:

    All 8 of the coordinating colors for Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate, arranged on paint lids over a background of mauvey flowers on an oil painting.

    Is Cinnamon Slate a Good Color to Use?

    I wasn’t 100% sold on Cinnamon Slate at first in terms of versatility. I probably wouldn’t use it on an exterior (unless it’s a Victorian!) and it wouldn’t be my first choice for kitchen cabinets.

    I do think that Cinnamon Slate is a surprisingly versatile backdrop for your other decor, particularly if you have a lot of plants. The greens really pop against this luxurious mauve.

    Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate on a large 3 drawer dresser in front of a white wall with a swatch of the color over top on the graphic.
    Photo Credit: @julie_simpleredesign

    I also found that Cinnamon Slate works well with a lot of other paint colors! You could use it with most neutrals and probably most muted greens and blues.

    The trouble with Cinnamon Slate, is that it is a bit dark in terms of pairing with other colors. It would be overwhelming to use it in conjunction with other colors of a similar depth. I would keep coordinating colors either very light, or very dark for accents.

    Drippy paint swatch of Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate over a white background. Graphic reads "Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate: 2025 Color of the year."

    This shade is probably best reserved for an accent wall, furniture, or small spaces (like a powder room). It would be an incredible choice for a color drench moment however!

    I hope this helped you visualize how you might use Cinnamon Slate in your home! If it’s not quite right, I’ve got lots more:

    Behr Dupes vs sulking room pink
    Sherwin Williams Redend Point Color Strip from Malted Milk to Vintage Leather, with Likeable Sand, Interface Tan, Moroccan Spice, and Tanbark in Between. Background of a colorful desert scene at sunset.
    Swatch of Benjamin Moore Blue Nova over a table with some blue decor