Benjamin Moore Onyx (2133-10)
Benjamin Moore Onyx is a charcoal black with little to no undertones. If you are looking for a saturated warm black, this is it!
When we moved to Tennessee, we had a daunting task ahead of us…repainting the exterior of our wooden board and batten barndominium and shop. While I love the board and batten exterior, I was not a huge fan of the colors. I knew I wanted to paint the barndominium, but what color?
Check out all the black colors we sifted through, the before picture of our barndominium and how BM Black Onyx turned this once dated looking barndominium into something truly lovely!
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Bardominium Exterior Color
The color selection was something I wanted to get just right as I didn’t want to have to re-do this project because of a wrong color selection. I looked at painting it white, gray, a blue-gray, an earth tone green and finally black. The black barn color selection won and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
However, the task of selecting a black color was just beginning! Since there are like a ZILLION BLACK COLORS out there…which one do I chose? This is the bardominium before and I truly believe whatever color we painted it would match our style better.
Check out these other posts!
Painting Our Barn
Best Black Paint Colors for Interior & Exterior
Benjamin Moore Gettysburg Gray Paint Review
Benjamin Moore Onyx Explained
BM Onyx is dramatic. I realize that doesn’t necessarily describe the color and undertones, but it has a flair for the dramatic side. Onyx is a dark black with little or no undertones. If you are looking for a good black paint color that won’t look blue, green or anything in between this is it! BM Onyx makes a great backdrop in a room, on your homes exterior or a barn for that matter. It essentially is a true black paint color. It is a warm black paint color.
“Like its namesake, this deep black is both luxurious and grounded.” – BENJAMIN MOORE
Benjamin Moore Onyx Statistics
The LRV (Light Reflectance Value) for Onyx is 4.99 so it’s pretty dark. LRV ranges from 0-100 with 100 being pure white. By looking at a paints LVR you can really get a good understanding of how dark or light a paint color is. Black paint color is 0 on the LVR scale so this isn’t quite as dark as a true black but it’s a dark color none the less.
Every time I review a paint color I always break down the statistics. Why bother? you might ask. Understanding the details and how light works with a color is helpful when selecting colors. LRV helps you determine how much light will be bounced around your home. For exterior, it refers to the amount of light that is reflected from a surface when illuminated by a light source, such as the sun.
Test Paint Colors
The best way to determine what colors you are considering is to test them and test them I did. I think in the end I tested seven different black shades, but that was only after researching what seemed like every black color on the market. We finally chose Benjamin Moore Onyx and we LOVE IT!
I did share some of the black paint colors we researched and tested and will break them down in comparison to BM Onyx for you here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Onyx is a dark black with little to no undertones and won’t look blue, green or anything in the middle.
Benjamin Moore Black is another off-black shade and is considered their most classic black. It is a little darker than Onyx, with and LRV of 4.56 and has is slightly more blue-toned than Onyx.
Yes! I find it has a warm feel. It is very saturated but warm in tone and feel.
Onyx for Interiors
Can you paint an interior wall or room black? Sure you can! And it looks amazing. When we purchased our first home back in 2002..wow, that was a long time ago, I painted our powder room black many years ago and I LOVED it! I have no idea of the exact paint color, but it was stunning to say the least.
BM Onyx is amazing in a room that has a lot of windows or even in a room without any windows but that has a ton of lighting. Onyx looks best with either natural or artificial light as Onyx craves light and looks amazing when given what it needs. Onyx would also look great on kitchen or office cabinets or on the interior of a front door.
Benjamin Moore Onyx on Furniture
Onyx looks great on furniture too. I used BM Onyx on my antique buffet I found on FB Marketplace. Onyx looks amazing on kitchen cabinets or office built-ins. Using either BM Advance Paint for furniture or SW Emerald paint will give you an ideal finish on your furniture or cabinets.
Benjamin Moore Onyx for Exteriors
Dark exteriors are very popular right now and on trend. They are gorgeous and even though they are on trend now black barns have been around a long time. I love to pull from timeless designs of the past while designing for the current. Trends come and go but certain historical designs are timeless. Dark paint colors, such as Onyx, look great without trim as we have on our barn and hope. It also looks fabulous with lots of foliage as contrast. Consider warmer whites or light gray paint colors for an accent color if necessary. We love the light gray metal roof on our barn as it looks fabulous with the black board and batten.
Trim Color for BM Onyx
If you are going to use a trim color here are some trim options that pair nicely.Simply White (OC 117), BM London Fog (BM 1541), BM White Dove (OC-17), or for a creamier look.
BM Onyx Complementary Colors
Complementary colors to Benjamin Moore Onyx are lovely grays, soft tans, earthy greens and even a gray blue charcoal hue and many others. Coordinating colors to Onyx make this black hue pop and come to life when thoughtfully paired with other colors
Similar Colors to Benjamin Moore Onyx
I have shared other Benjamin Moore paint colors that were similar to Onyx’s LRV of 4.99. Some of these shades will be darker, lighter and have some undertones in comparison to Onyx.
Benjamin Moore Black Panther (6.51)
BM Black Panther (2125-10) is a black that provides beautiful contrast to crisp whites and reads as a true black and not blue in bright spaces. For a color named black it is certainly a deep hue however not nearly as rich as many of the other truer blacks.
Benjamin Moore Jet Black (LVR 4.71)
BM Jet Black (2120-10) has an LRV of 4.71 so it is a darker black than Onyx.
Benjamin Moore Soot (LVR 4.11)
This one is often recommended because it is a perfect grey black. It’s more of a warm charcoal instead of a straight black. Soot is a rich black color with cool blue undertones. It makes a statement all on its own, yet pairs perfectly with white as a pop. BM Soot (2129-20) is a cooler black.
Benjamin Moore Black Beauty (LVR 3.26)
After testing eight colors I did not get around to testing Black Beauty. It is very similar to Onyx but not as dark since it has a higher LVR. This is a lovely shade of black and a great go to black color.
Benjamin Moore Mopboard Black (LVR 4.27)
Mopboard Black CW 680 is one of the most stunning black colors that Benjamin Moore has to offer. It is refined, sophisticated, and the model for elegance. The shade was found by researchers on mopboards (baseboards) in the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg and is considered one of Benjamin Moore’s historical colors.
Similar Sherwin Williams Equivalent to Black Onyx
The closest Sherwin-Williams color match is Tricorn Black (SW 6258). Let’s compare BM Onyx vs. SW Tricorn Black and see how they stack up. The LRV of SW Tricorn Black is a 3 so it is a darker black than Onyx. Tricorn Black is also cooler than Onyx. This color is pure, refined, and unblended and is the closest match to Onyx.
Final Thoughts on Benjamin Moore Onyx
With so many wonderful black paint colors to chose from you can’t go wrong with BM Onyx. However, testing before you paint is crucial. There were so many shades of black I just knew was going to be the right black hue for our barn and it ended up not being right at all for our needs and setting. Although every color we tried was a gorgeous color it wasn’t quite what we were looking for. Onyx gave us the exact shade of black we were looking for with no undertones and a black color that wasn’t too black. We love it!
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