Behr Perfect Taupe Review - Why I chose this color for my home

When I was painting our main bedroom, I was set on a color that was a little bit gray, and a little bit brown … in other words, the perfect taupe. After sampling a whole bunch of options that were a little to purple, a little too pink, or a little too gray, I tried a color that spelled out exactly what I was looking for: Behr Perfect Taupe. And wouldn’t you know it lived up to its name.

Perfect Taupe in our main bedroom closet

If you’re looking for the best shade of taupe to paint your bedroom — or any room for that matter — here’s more about the hue, plus why I chose this color.

[TIP: Regardless of which color you choose, it’s always a good idea to order paint samples before committing to a color, and recently started using Samplize, which makes peel & stick paint samples that are so easy to use].

Contents hide

1 What color is Behr Perfect Taupe?

1.1 Behr Perfect Taupe Undertones

2 Does taupe look gray?

3 How I used Perfect Taupe in my home

4 Colors that go with Perfect Taupe

What color is Behr Perfect Taupe?

Perfect Taupe is neutral, medium toned shade of brownish-gray. It’s got a Light Reflective Value, or LRV of 42, which makes it a deep, but not dark, color. LRV measures the brightness of paint colors on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being pure black, and 100 being pure white. To compare, Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy, for example, has an LRV of 6 while Benjamin Moore’s Simply White, one of it’s brightest whites, has an LRV of 91.7.

Colors between 40-60 tend to be a happy medium between a light, bright space and a dark, moody one. They set the tone for a room without overwhelming it.

Behr Perfect Taupe Undertones

The RGB (or Red, Green Blue) makeup is as follows: R 182 G 172 B 160. Because all of the color components are nearly even, this shade is considered a true neutral, with a touch of a warm undertone, which is why I chose it. Taupe can easily skew purple, pink, or even yellow, and I wanted something that was none of the above. The color looks like a neutral, without a strong cast of another shade.

Does taupe look gray?

One of the things I was worried about when I painted our bedroom and closet a taupe color, is that it would end up looking gray. I didn’t want a gray bedroom, because to me, a lot of gray shades feel cold, and it’s been such an overused color in last few years that it also feels a little boring.

Taupe has a lot of the same pros a gray – it’s neutral, it has depth and it’s soothing and serene. But, it has a warmth that gray doesn’t have, which makes it more inviting, but also more unique and interesting. I mean, it’s still taupe, so it’s not that interesting, but moreso than gray.

At the same time, in some lights, taupe can end up looking like a warm gray or pewter color. In other lights, its brown side shows through a bit more. So, I think it’s always best to try out a few shades in your space before committing to one. If you’re painting a south-facing room that’s flooded with light, for example, you might want to go for a deeper shade of taupe with more brown undertones so that the color doesn’t get washed out.

If you’re looking for a color that’s a touch more brown, Behr Smokestack is a good option, and for a slightly darker shade, try Smoked Tan.

How I used Perfect Taupe in my home

Like I said, I chose Perfect Taupe for my bedroom when we first moved into our home in 2018. I love the color because it’s warm, neutral, and just a little bit different that all of the other neutrals I had been seeing. I especially love it at night, when it’s enveloping and cozy, but not too dark.

A few years later, I still love it! I ended up painting our closet the same shade, and may do something similar in our powder room remodel later this year.