Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace Review

Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace is one of the best white paint colors out there! I share why I love it and how it compares to other popular whites!

Choosing the right white paint color for our new master bathroom was a bit trickier than I expected but I couldn’t be happier with the color I ended up with – Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace. I get lots of questions about it so today I’m going to share why you might want to put it on your short list of white paint colors for your home (especially bathrooms!) and how it compares to other popular white paint colors.

I’ve also answered some of your most common questions including what sheen of Chantilly Lace I used and what color to use with on trim when you paint your walls white. Let’s get to it… (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})

Chantilly Lace (OC-65): Why I Love It

The hardest thing about working with white paint colors is that they aren’t 100% pure white – they have subtle undertones. So what might look like a pure white in the can could have a yellow, blue, green, etc. cast once its up on the wall. What I love about Chantilly Lace is that it’s close to looking like a pure white but with just a touch of blue that’s enough to give it a crisp, fresh feel (but not so much that it’s harsh or stark). Chantilly Lace feels soft and fresh & works beautifully with the whites of the shower tile, tub, toilet and Carrara marble vanity top in our master bathroom:

Benjamin Moore describes Chantilly Lace as “as delicate and refined as the lace it was named after, this crisp, clean white evokes images of pure silk, soft linen and simpler times.” While totally corny, it’s actually a pretty spot-on description! Here’s another view of it on the other side of our bathroom – as is typical with any paint color it looks a little different depending on how much light it gets:

If you haven’t seen our master bathroom reveal already, you can see a bunch more pics of Chantilly Lace in our bathroom and get all sources for this space in my master bathroom reveal post {here}.

A Great Trim Color With Chantilly Lace Walls

Whenever I paint the walls of a room white, my choice for trim color couldn’t be easier – I use the same exact color as the walls but in a glossier sheen. People often look to use a different white color for trim because they want some contrast from the walls but you actually get that same contrast when you simply change the sheen. Like all whites, Chantilly Lace in semigloss or satin appears whiter (since it’s more reflective) than Chantilly Lace in flat or matte. It’s enough of a difference to get the contract that you want while still having the two different finishes go beautifully together.

What Sheens of Chantilly Lace Paint I Used

For the walls and ceiling of our bathroom I used Aura Bath & Spa (which is made for spaces that get more moisture) in matte. Their matte paint has just a touch more sheen than flat but its more scrubbable. A lot of people use eggshell on bathroom walls which is a great choice too. I personally prefer matte because I’m just not a fan of much shine plus if you ever need to touch your paint up down the road, it’s more likely to blend in if you’re using a matte or flat paint. The last reason I chose matte is that I wanted to use the same sheen on both the walls and ceiling so it’s one enveloping space and I wouldn’t recommend using paint with sheen on drywall ceiling because it shows too many imperfections.

For the trim in our bathroom, I used Benjamin Moore Advance in Satin (semi-gloss is also a great choice for trim – it’s just personal preference depending on how much sheen you like).

Chantilly Lace vs. Other Similar White Paint Colors

If you’re thinking about using Chantilly Lace in your home, you’re probably deciding between it and some similar whites so I thought it would be helpful to show you how Chantilly Lace compares to other popular whites to help you choose the white that’s the best fit. I bought samples of four of the closest whites from Samplize so I could show you. If you’re not familiar with Samplize, they sell 12″ x 12″ squares of paint finishes with adhesive backing so you can peel the backing off and stick them up on your wall:

The adhesive is sticky enough to keep them up on the wall but not so sticky that they pull off paint or can’t easily be removed and repositioned in another part of the room (which I 100% recommend doing – paint colors can look quite different depending on the spot in your room and the light they receive). I’ll break down the comparison for all four of these paint colors but here’s a look at samples of all of them on my Chantilly Lace bathroom walls:

Some of them are so close that they almost blend right in…

Here’s how Chantilly Lace compares to each of these four:

Chantilly Lace vs. Simply White

Simply White (OC-117) is one of my favorite white paint colors and the one I’m using as a whole house paint color for our home in NC – so far we’ve painted our guest room:

Sources: Queen beadboard bed (weathered white) | 12″ Memory foam queen mattress (no boxspring needed) | Blue & white quilted shams | Blue tasseled edge pillow covers | Navy embroidered lumbar pillow cover ( with {this} pillow insert) | Navy border duvet cover | Navy border sheets | White quilt | Backless bench at foot of bed | Nightstand | USB Lamp | Mirror (white – small)

and our breakfast nook in Simply White:

Sources: Woven pendant | Round table | Bistro chairs | 7′ Round jute rug

While Chantilly Lace has a touch of blue, Simply White a touch of yellow. It’s just enough yellow to give it a warm feel but not so much that it looks too creamy. With that touch of warmth, even large rooms painted in Simply White don’t have a sterile feel like many fear their room will have with a brighter white. Comparing Chantilly Lace to Simply White, they are similar in that they are both in the lighter range of white paint colors and they both have a crisp, clean look. The main difference is that Simply White is a warmer color than Chantilly Lace due to the touch of yellow.

So why didn’t I use Simply White in our bathroom? Actually that was my plan! But when I painted a large test sample in my bathroom, the yellow undertone of it was much more obvious than in any other room I’ve painted with Simply White. Why? Because it was up against the more cool toned blues of our marble tile, tub, and toilet.

I was convinced Simply White would work so my test resulted in a last minute run to the paint store for more samples which is when I decided Chantilly Lace would be best. The lesson learned is that while Simply White is a great versatile paint color for most spaces in your home, it’s probably not the best choice when being used right next to cooler toned tile or marble like Carrara because that’s when you’ll see the yellow in the paint color come out.

Super White vs. Chantilly Lace

Benjamin Moore Super White (OC-152 or PM-1) is another great white paint color to consider and if you’re having a hard time seeing much of a difference between the two whites in the pics of the paint samples in my bathroom, you’re right! They’re very similar whites and honestly if you had two rooms painted these two colors side by side, you’d have a very hard time seeing a difference. You’d think that based on the name, Super White would be the brightest white of the two but actually Chantilly Lace is just a tad bit brighter while Super White is slightly softer. Chantilly Lace also has just the slightest bit more color to it than Super White. But again, these two are very similar to each other.

Chantilly Lace vs. Decorators White

Decorator’s White is a long-time favorite of many for cabinets and trim but is a great option for walls too. When looking at Chantilly Lace vs. Decorator’s White (OC-149) you can probably see what the biggest difference is – Decorator’s White isn’t as bright of a white. Also, when they’re side by side you can see that Decorator’s White has a touch more of a gray appearance.

Oxford White vs. Chantilly Lace

Oxford White (CC-30) is a white paint color you don’t hear as much about as the other whites in this post but it’s another beautiful white that’s similar to Chantilly Lace. Comparing Oxford White vs. Chantilly Lace, these two colors are super close in hue (i.e. how yellow or blue they are) but Chantilly Lace is the brighter white of the two.

That wraps things up! I hope this post wasn’t TMI but I wanted to give you guys all the information I could so you could make the best white paint color choices and save yourself some time, agony, & money! If you want details on other popular white paint colors, be sure you hop over to read {this post} on my favorite 8 white paint colors that has pics of each paint color in real spaces. The end of that post also has tips on how to figure out which white paint color is the best one for your space. Also, if you haven’t seen it already you might want to take a peek at our master bathoom reveal {here} with tons of pics of Chantilly Lace in this space.

Thanks as always for stopping by! Be sure to take a look at my Shop page {here} if you haven’t already since I just added a bunch of great new finds!