Cedar
What Cedar Actually Looks Like
Cedar reads as a beige-taupe hybrid, sitting right at the intersection of the two families. In strong south or west light it leans warmer, showing its sandy beige side clearly. Pull it into a north-facing room or flat overcast light and the gray component takes over, giving it a cooler, more taupe quality. At large scale it can briefly suggest a faint green cast, but that tends to dissipate once your eye adjusts. There is also a subtle purple-pink note underneath that becomes more apparent in certain light conditions, especially against very neutral surroundings.
Cedar Undertones
The primary undertone story here is a gray dust sitting over a beige base, which is exactly what makes this color useful as a bridge between warm and cool palettes. The secondary notes, a trace of purple-pink and an occasional flicker of green, are real but not dominant. They show up mainly when the color is surrounded by strong neutrals or applied in large quantities. Think of the gray as the undertone that controls the mood, and the beige as the warmth that keeps it from going cold.
Where Cedar Works Best
Cedar works well in rooms that get good natural light, either from south or west exposures. In bright rooms it can wash out slightly, so a deeper finish (eggshell or satin rather than flat) helps it hold its character. In rooms without adequate interior lighting it can go drab, so plan your artificial lighting carefully before committing. It is also worth testing on an exterior surface in full south or west sun before you paint the whole house, because the warmth intensifies significantly in direct outdoor light. It pairs well with red-stained or pink-stained wood tones but clashes with yellow-stained wood, so factor in your existing trim and floors.
Where to put Cedar
A south or west-facing living room is where Cedar earns its place. The warm light shifts it toward a comfortable sandy beige that feels settled without being heavy. Keep trim white and clean rather than creamy, and make sure your artificial lighting is warm enough to carry the color into evening without it going flat.
In a bedroom with good light, Cedar reads as a calm, livable neutral that does not demand attention. In a north-facing bedroom, expect it to lean taupe and lose most of its warmth, which can feel restful or a bit dull depending on how much natural light the room gets. Add warm-toned textiles and lighting to keep it from going cold.
Cedar can function as an exterior color when the surrounding materials are right, particularly brick or stone with warm or reddish tones. Test it in full sun on your actual facade first. The warmth intensifies outdoors in direct light, so what looks like a muted taupe inside can read as a noticeably warmer color on an exterior wall in afternoon sun.
What to Pair With Cedar
Cedar has no Benjamin Moore coordinating colors designated in our database for this code. Based on observed behavior, it works best with crisp, clean whites for trim and cabinetry, and holds up well alongside darker green-grays, medium-depth greiges, and warm taupes with some depth to them.
Colors that clash with Cedar
Cream trim next to Cedar creates a muddy, unresolved contrast because the yellow base in most creams fights with Cedar's gray-purple undertones.
Yellow-stained floors or wood trim pull out the orange-beige notes in Cedar in an unflattering way, making the whole room feel jaundiced rather than warm.
Pairing Cedar with colors that are both cooler and lighter than it, such as pale blue-grays or icy whites, makes Cedar look dingy by comparison rather than warm.
Common questions
The Benjamin Moore code is ES-40. The hex and LRV values render in the color spec block on this page. Note that the LRV listed in our database for this code appears to be a data error and should not be used for lighting calculations without independent verification.
It can, but manage your expectations. In north light, the gray undertone takes over and the warm beige quality largely disappears. You end up with a color that reads more plainly taupe and can feel flat without good artificial lighting. If you want warmth in a north-facing room, Cedar may not deliver it reliably.
Like most beige-taupes, Cedar shifts noticeably at large scale. The subtle green and purple-pink undertones become more visible on full walls, especially against white trim. Paint a large sample board and live with it in your actual light conditions before deciding.
A clean, bright white without yellow or cream in it is your safest choice. Cream trim tends to clash because the yellow base in cream conflicts with Cedar's cooler gray and purple-pink undertones.