Cliffside Gray
What Cliffside Gray Actually Looks Like
Cliffside Gray HC-180 is a balanced, mid-tone cool gray that sits comfortably between light and dark. It reads as a true gray in most interior conditions, neither dramatically pale nor deeply saturated. In bright, south-facing rooms it stays crisp and clean. Pull it into a north-facing or windowless space and it holds its tone with reasonable consistency, though it can feel slightly cooler and more still. On a fan deck or a screen it may hint at a soft green cast, which is common behavior for cool grays in this LRV range.
Cliffside Gray Undertones
The undertones in Cliffside Gray are subtle but real. Cool grays like this one are shape-shifters. Depending on the hour and the season, you may catch a slight green, a whisper of blue, or even a faint lavender on one wall while an adjacent wall looks more neutral. Late afternoon summer light, especially when surrounding trees and foliage are throwing reflected green into the room, can pull the green cast to the surface. Morning light tends to quiet those shifts and let the pure gray come forward. On a computer monitor the color can look notably greener than it does on a painted wall, so sample it in person before committing.
Where Cliffside Gray Works Best
This color earns its keep in spaces where you want gray to feel grounded rather than stark. It is a strong candidate for living rooms, bedrooms, and hallways where natural light varies throughout the day, since the subtle undertone movement reads as sophistication rather than instability. It also works in windowless rooms, where cool grays tend to stay more consistent than colors with stronger chromatic pull. Exterior use is available, and in open shade it will likely read as a clean, cool gray with minimal undertone distraction.
Where to put Cliffside Gray
In a living room with mixed light exposure, Cliffside Gray holds its cool-gray character during the day while shifting subtly toward green or blue as afternoon light changes. Keep trim in a clean white to define the walls and prevent the undertones from muddying the overall feel.
A bedroom is one of the best settings for this color. It reads calm and quiet in morning light, and the mild cool undertones feel restful at night under warm incandescent or LED lighting. Pair it with warm-toned textiles to balance any blue or green drift.
Hallways often lack consistent natural light, and Cliffside Gray behaves well in those conditions. Cool grays tend to remain fairly steady in windowless or low-light corridors, so you get a cohesive look from end to end without dramatic color shifts.
For a home office with a north-facing window, expect the color to read on the cooler, quieter side of gray throughout the day. That can actually support focus. Just know that heavy monitor glare or cool-temperature task lighting can push the green or blue cast more noticeably.
What to Pair With Cliffside Gray
No specific Benjamin Moore coordinating colors are listed in our database for HC-180, but cool grays in this family generally pair well with crisp whites, warm off-whites, soft charcoals, and natural wood tones that keep the palette from feeling clinical.
Colors that clash with Cliffside Gray
Cool grays with green or blue undertones fight against warm yellow and orange tones in furniture, flooring, or adjacent rooms. The contrast can make both colors look off rather than complementary.
A very blue-white trim alongside Cliffside Gray can exaggerate any lavender or green shift in the wall color, making the gray look less clean than it is.
If your room is surrounded by trees and receives a lot of reflected green light, especially in summer afternoons, the green cast in this color can become pronounced and feel unintentional.
Common questions
Cliffside Gray carries the Benjamin Moore code HC-180. Its precise LRV is 60.56, placing it firmly in the mid-tone range. The hex and RGB values render in the spec block on this page.
It can, depending on conditions. Cool grays in this range are known to pick up green, blue, or even faint lavender shifts based on the time of day, season, and how much reflected light from plants or trees enters the room. Late afternoon summer light is the most likely trigger for the green read. Paint a large sample and observe it across a full day before committing.
Yes, Benjamin Moore offers HC-180 in both interior and exterior formulas across their standard finish options. The finish you choose will affect how the color reads. Flat finishes absorb light and tend to soften undertone shifts. Eggshell and satin add a slight reflectivity that can intensify those subtle green or blue moments in direct light.
Cool grays generally hold their color more consistently in windowless rooms than colors with strong chromatic pull, because there is no shifting daylight to activate undertone movement. Under warm artificial light the color may read slightly softer, but it should stay recognizably gray.