Toasted Chestnut
What Toasted Chestnut Actually Looks Like
Toasted Chestnut is a rich, dark reddish-brown that reads like the color of fired clay or the skin of a roasted chestnut. It is bold and saturated, sitting firmly in deep territory. In bright light it shows its warm red-orange character clearly. In dim or north-facing light it pulls darker and can read closer to a deep burgundy-tinged brown.
Toasted Chestnut Undertones
The color carries distinct red and orange undertones. That warmth is consistent across light conditions, though how much orange versus red you see depends on the quality of light in the room. Direct afternoon sun will coax out the orange. Cooler or lower light tends to push it toward a deeper, moodier red-brown.
Where Toasted Chestnut Works Best
Because the LRV is very low, this color absorbs a lot of light. That makes it best suited to spaces where you want deliberate drama or enclosure rather than brightness. Accent walls, dining rooms, libraries, and powder rooms are natural fits. It can work on all four walls in a space with good artificial light, but in a small room with limited natural light it will feel very dark and intimate, so go in with that expectation set.
Where to put Toasted Chestnut
A dining room is one of the strongest applications for Toasted Chestnut. The depth of the color makes candlelit dinners feel warm and enveloping. Pair it with warm wood furniture and brass fixtures to keep everything in the same tonal family.
Small square footage works in your favor here. A powder room in Toasted Chestnut feels intentional rather than overwhelming, and you can go all four walls without worrying about making a larger space feel closed in.
The color creates exactly the kind of focused, cozy atmosphere that a reading room wants. Warm-toned leather, dark wood shelving, and a well-chosen task lamp all complement it well.
If you want the impact of this color without fully committing, a single accent wall behind a sofa or bed delivers the warmth and depth without darkening the whole room. Make sure the adjoining walls are light enough to let the accent breathe.
What to Pair With Toasted Chestnut
No formal coordinating colors are listed in our database for this color at this time. As a general direction, Toasted Chestnut pairs well with warm off-whites, soft creams, aged brass or bronze hardware, and natural wood tones that echo its warmth. Deep forest greens and navy blues also sit comfortably alongside it.
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Colors that clash with Toasted Chestnut
Toasted Chestnut's strong warm red-orange undertones will fight with cool gray or blue-gray in an adjacent space. The contrast reads jarring rather than intentional.
A stark, blue-white trim will highlight the orange in Toasted Chestnut in a way that can feel unresolved. The contrast is too sharp given how saturated the wall color is.
Combining a very low LRV wall color with dark floors and minimal light sources can make a room feel like it disappears. This is not always unwanted, but it can feel oppressive rather than cozy.
Common questions
The Benjamin Moore color code is 2174-10, the hex is #88442E, and the LRV is 10.45, which places it firmly in the dark end of the value scale.
Yes, it is available in both interior and exterior Benjamin Moore formulas.
Eggshell is the most versatile choice for living spaces since it is easy to clean and does not create the kind of shine that can make a very saturated dark color look uneven. Flat can work in low-traffic rooms like a dining room or library if you want to minimize any sheen. Save semi-gloss for trim only.
It will make a small room feel darker, and in a room with little natural light the effect will be pronounced. Whether that reads as oppressive or cozy depends entirely on how you furnish and light the space. Warm artificial lighting and lighter furnishings can make the depth feel intentional rather than heavy.
Deep, highly saturated colors like Toasted Chestnut almost always need two full coats for even coverage. Ask Benjamin Moore for a tinted primer matched to the color direction to improve coverage and reduce the number of finish coats needed.