My Valentine
What My Valentine Actually Looks Like
My Valentine is a deep, saturated crimson red that sits closer to berry than fire-engine. It has enough warmth to feel rich and enveloping on a wall, but the pink component keeps it from reading as a pure blue-based burgundy. In strong daylight it shows its true red-crimson character. In dim or north-facing light it can read almost wine-dark, nearly approaching the depth of a very dark jewel tone.
My Valentine Undertones
The pink undertone is the defining trait here. It pulls the color away from a straightforward red and gives it a slightly flushed, romantic quality. That same undertone means it will not play well with orange-based wood tones or warm yellow accents, since those combinations can make the pink feel muddied. Cool whites, soft grays with pink or violet leanings, and deep charcoals tend to resolve the undertone cleanly.
Where My Valentine Works Best
My Valentine works best as a deliberate, committed choice rather than a whole-home color. Its very low light reflectance means it absorbs light and makes a space feel smaller and more intimate. That is an asset in a dining room, a powder room, or an accent wall in a bedroom, where you want drama and enclosure. It is less suited to already-dark rooms that need every bit of reflected light to function.
Where to put My Valentine
A dining room is arguably the single best use for My Valentine. People spend relatively short, high-energy periods there, and candlelight or warm pendant lighting will deepen the crimson beautifully without the low LRV ever feeling oppressive. Paint all four walls and let the color wrap the room fully for maximum effect.
Small square footage works in your favor here. Because a powder room has no natural need for borrowed daylight, the depth of My Valentine is an asset rather than a liability. Pair it with a bright white ceiling and polished nickel or chrome fixtures to keep the pink undertone from dominating.
Used on a single wall behind the headboard, My Valentine adds warmth and visual weight without committing the whole room to a very dark color. Keep the remaining walls in a cool off-white or a soft warm gray to give the eye somewhere to rest.
Proceed carefully. If the room gets strong south or west light for much of the day, My Valentine can carry the space on all four walls. In a north-facing or east-facing living room with limited windows, it may feel too cave-like for everyday use. Test a large sample across at least two days before committing.
What to Pair With My Valentine
No Benjamin Moore coordinating colors are listed in our database for this color, so pairings below are based on undertone logic and general color principles.
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Colors that clash with My Valentine
Honey oak, orange pine, or similarly warm wood tones will pull against the pink in My Valentine and create a muddy, unsettled combination rather than a rich contrast.
Yellow-gold throw pillows, curtains, or artwork can clash with the pink undertone in this crimson, making both colors look less intentional.
A very blue-tinted bright white on trim can make the pink undertone in My Valentine look overly pink and less like a sophisticated crimson.
Common questions
The LRV is 12.98, which is very low. That means the color absorbs the vast majority of light that hits it. Rooms painted in My Valentine will feel noticeably darker and more enclosed, which is great for intimate spaces like dining rooms and powder rooms but can be problematic in rooms that already lack natural light.
An eggshell finish is the most versatile choice for walls. It gives you just enough sheen to make the depth of the color glow slightly without highlighting every surface imperfection the way a satin finish would. Flat finishes tend to make very dark colors look chalky and matte in a way that can feel dull rather than rich.
It can work well on an exterior door, particularly on a home with white, gray, or dark trim and neutral siding. In direct sunlight the crimson reads as bold and warm. Keep in mind that very low LRV colors on exterior doors can fade faster with prolonged UV exposure, so use a high-quality exterior paint and expect to refresh it over time.
The Benjamin Moore code is 1330. The hex and RGB values are displayed in the color swatch on this page.