Crystal Clear
What Crystal Clear Actually Looks Like
Crystal Clear is a near-white blue-green that reads airy and cool rather than saturated. In strong natural light it looks almost like a very pale aqua wash on the wall. Pull back the daylight and it settles into a soft, watery teal. It is light enough that many people would call it a white at first glance, but stand next to a true white and the blue-green is unmistakable.
Crystal Clear Undertones
The dominant undertone is cool blue-green, leaning teal. That undertone is sensitive to context. White or off-white trim can either neutralize it or amplify it depending on how warm the trim reads. A warm white trim pulls the color toward refreshing and calm. A stark cool white trim pushes it further toward clinical. In north-facing light the teal reads slightly stronger and cooler, so if your room faces north, test a large sample before committing. Because it is so light, nearby flooring and furnishings reflect back into the color and shift how the undertone lands.
Where Crystal Clear Works Best
Crystal Clear works well anywhere you want to add a hint of color without weight. It suits living rooms, kitchens, and sunrooms comfortably. On a ceiling it keeps the room feeling open and adds a quiet, sky-like quality without the flatness of plain white. Small rooms and spaces that lack direct sunlight benefit from its high reflectivity, which bounces light around rather than absorbing it. It also performs as a calm whole-home backdrop when you want every room to feel connected without feeling identical.
Where to put Crystal Clear
In a living room with good daylight Crystal Clear reads calm and clean without feeling cold, provided the furnishings bring warmth. Natural wood floors and linen upholstery do the work here. In a darker living room with limited windows, test it first because the teal undertone strengthens when daylight drops.
Kitchens get a lift from Crystal Clear because the lightness and cool tone feel clean without being stark. Pair it with warm white cabinetry rather than a bright cool white to prevent the space from tipping into clinical. Butcher block or warm wood countertops help anchor it.
A sunroom is where Crystal Clear is most at ease. Abundant south or east light keeps it reading fresh and aqua-adjacent rather than cold. The color reinforces the indoor-outdoor connection without trying too hard.
Used on a ceiling above neutral walls, Crystal Clear adds a sky-like quality that reads as light rather than color. It is subtle enough that guests may not identify the color immediately, but the room will feel taller and more open than it would under flat white.
Because of its high reflectivity, Crystal Clear can make a small bathroom, hallway, or interior room feel less boxed in. The payoff is real, but monitor the undertone carefully in rooms with no direct sunlight. A warm-toned light bulb helps prevent the blue-green from reading cold under artificial light.
What to Pair With Crystal Clear
Because no official Benjamin Moore coordinating colors are assigned to Crystal Clear 2044-60, build your palette from the color itself. Lean into warm neutrals for trim and cabinetry to balance the cool undertone, and bring in natural materials like rattan, linen, and light wood to keep the space from feeling cold.
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Colors that clash with Crystal Clear
Pairing Crystal Clear with a stark, blue-toned white trim amplifies the cool undertone and can make the room feel cold and hard rather than fresh.
Cool gray tile or cool-washed wood floors reflect back into the wall color and push the blue-green undertone further toward cold. The effect compounds in rooms with limited natural light.
Bright cobalt, cool purple, or steel-blue upholstery competes with the teal undertone and removes the airy calm that makes this color useful.
Common questions
Crystal Clear's Benjamin Moore color code is 2044-60, its hex is #B3EDE1, and its precise LRV is 73.99, placing it firmly in near-white territory with strong light-reflecting capability.
It can work, but the cool blue-green undertone reads stronger in north light and the color will feel cooler than it does in a south or east-facing space. Paint a large sample, at least 12 by 12 inches, and observe it at different times of day before deciding. Using warm white trim and warm-toned furnishings becomes more important in a north-facing room.
Yes. Its high reflectivity and near-white lightness make it a solid ceiling choice. It adds a quiet sky-like quality without reading as an obvious color, and it keeps the ceiling from feeling heavy.
The key is warmth in everything around it. Choose a warm white for trim, bring in natural wood tones for flooring or furniture, and use warm-toned bulbs rather than cool daylight bulbs in artificial lighting. Those three moves balance the teal undertone consistently.
East Cape is the closest cross-brand color by measurement, but it reads noticeably darker on the wall despite the close numerical match. If you need the very light, near-white quality of Crystal Clear, East Cape is not a reliable substitute. It works better if you actually want a slightly deeper version of the same hue.