Real Richmond Reviews: Benjamin Moore launches “Color Stories”

I was invited to a blogger review of Benjamin Moore paints recently at Virginia Paint: here’s what I learned!

Benjamin Moore is introducing a brand new line of interior paint colors called “Color Stories” and it’s more than the new colors themselves that give the paint manufacturer’s customers reason to get excited.  What makes “Color Stories” unique is that they are full-spectrum colors, meaning each paint hue is formulated using 6-7 different colors as opposed to the typical 2-3.  A complete line of full-spectrum colors is something that has never before been achieved, but Benjamin Moore has now been able to do so in their state-of-the-art color laboratory by using their high quality, low-VOC Aura paint as the base for the complex formulations.

The individual nuances of the 6-7 colors used in the formulas allow the “Color Stories” hues to take on different characteristics throughout the day and in different kinds of light.  The color formulas never include black or grey, even when the final product is black or grey, because those two colors tend to dull or darken a paint color even when used in small amounts.  Because of all this, the “Color Stories” full-spectrum paint colors look richer on the wall and have more depth and luminosity than other paints.

In “Color Stories”, Benjamin Moore wanted to create fresh, updated colors that were not just truer and richer than other interior paints, but also inspired by emotions and “moments in time”.  The objective was for the new colors to appeal to their customers on an emotional level, and so each of the 240 new colors was inspired by nature, the senses, found objects, or exquisite destinations around the world.  True to the name “Color Storiess”, each color has its own inspiration, which is detailed on the back of the swatch.  You can read more about the theory behind the new line at

One final detail that will appeal to anyone who has had to repaint a wall because the paint turned out different than the swatch: each “Color Stories” fan deck is made using the actual Aura eggshell paint, creating a truer swatch that will more genuinely display how the color will look in a room.  (Brilliant, right?)

Benjamin Moore’s “Color Stories” looks to be a promising new line for the tried-and-true brand of interior paint.  Look for the new colors to be rolled out in Benjamin Moore and Virginia Paint stores starting in January 2012. More information at the Benjamin Moore site.