Hampshire Gray
What Hampshire Gray Actually Looks Like
Hampshire Gray HC-101 sits in that middle ground between gray and brown, the kind of color that reads differently depending on what surrounds it. In good natural light it shows up as a warm, softly muted gray with distinct earthy depth. Pull it into a dimmer space and it leans noticeably browner, almost like a faded khaki. It is not a light color and it is not a dark one, but it carries enough weight to make a room feel anchored rather than airy.
Hampshire Gray Undertones
The RGB values tell the story here: red and green channels are close together, and the blue channel drops off noticeably. That means the underlying warmth is real. On a north-facing wall in cool daylight this color can look closer to a cool taupe, but warm incandescent or LED light pulls its brown and green-tinged khaki notes forward. It is not a clean gray and it will never read as one.
Where Hampshire Gray Works Best
Hampshire Gray earns its place in the Benjamin Moore Historical Collection, which tells you something about its character. It suits spaces where you want a grounded, period-appropriate feel without going full dark drama. Woodwork-heavy rooms, studies, libraries, and dining rooms all suit its temperament. It also works on exterior siding where a warm earthy gray reads more cohesive than a cool blue-gray against natural landscaping and traditional trim.
Where to put Hampshire Gray
The color's weight and warmth make a study feel settled and serious without being cold. Pair it with wooden bookshelves and a warm-white ceiling to keep the space from feeling compressed.
Hampshire Gray handles candlelight and warm pendant light well, shifting toward a rich earthy brown in the evening. That shift actually works in a dining room's favor, making the space feel more intimate at dinner.
On an exterior this reads as a traditional warm gray rather than a trendy cool one. It suits craftsman, colonial, and farmhouse styles especially well, and it holds up visually against brick, stone, and natural wood.
A hallway in Hampshire Gray feels purposeful and grounded. Keep the ceiling lighter and the trim bright to prevent the passage from reading too dark.
What to Pair With Hampshire Gray
No coordinating colors are listed in our database for HC-101, so pairings here are based on what the color itself calls for. Hampshire Gray works well with crisp warm whites on trim, natural wood tones, aged brass or bronze hardware, and deep navy or forest green accents that give it something clean to push against.
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Colors that clash with Hampshire Gray
If other rooms adjacent to this one use cool blue or purple-leaning grays, Hampshire Gray will look muddy and indecisive at the transition.
A bright cool white with blue or gray undertones on the trim will fight the warmth in Hampshire Gray and make both colors look slightly off.
In a north-facing room lit only by cool daylight, Hampshire Gray can look flat and a little dingy rather than intentionally warm.
Common questions
The Benjamin Moore code is HC-101, the hex is #908972, and the precise LRV is 25.45, which puts it firmly in the mid-dark range. It will absorb a noticeable amount of light in a room.
It depends on your light source. In cool or north-facing daylight it leans gray-taupe. Under warm incandescent or warm-white LED light it shifts toward brown and khaki. Neither reading is wrong; this is simply how the color is built.
Yes, and it is one of the better uses for it. The earthy warmth reads well against natural materials like stone, brick, and wood, and it suits traditional architectural styles without looking trendy.
Eggshell is the practical choice for most interior walls. It has just enough sheen to be wipeable without highlighting surface imperfections the way satin can. Flat works in low-traffic rooms if you want maximum depth from the color.