Benjamin Moore picks pale green as color of 2015

Mary Farrell
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Benjamin Moore has picked a neutral silvery green as its 2015 Color or the Year. Called Guilford Green, the hue is part of the paint company's toned-down palette for next year. “Monochromatic colors feel right, right now,” the company states on its website. We’ll leave color trends to the pros at Benjamin Moore but when it comes to choosing the right paint, Consumer Reports’ experts know which stand up to everyday wear and tear and which may not.

Guilford Green is available in three varieties of Benjamin Moore interior paint at different price points—Aura Interior, $68 a gallon, Regal Select Interior, $45, and Ben Interior, $37. Of the three, Aura Interior was a pick in all three sheens (satin/eggshell, flat/matte and semi-gloss) we test. All are self-priming, fade-resistant, and better than most at resisting sticking and mildew. Regal Select Interior, however, did not perform as well in our tests because it didn’t go on as smoothly. We didn’t test the lower-cost Ben Interior.

On its website, Benjamin Moore features Guilford Green with a number of complementary colors as well as darker and lighter shades of green. That’s not a bad idea because the hue may not be for you. Light affects color. So once you’ve zeroed in on a color you like, consider buying three samples: the color you’re drawn to, and a shade lighter and one darker. Paint a sample next to a window and in an area that’s dark, viewing the colors in daylight and at night, with the lights on and off. Then choose the one that looks best in all lighting conditions.

If you think $68 is too much to pay for a gallon of paint, consider one of the less expensive paint picks from our tests. Most paint pros can mix any color you want. Here are the top three interior paints of each sheen from our tests. (Benjamin Moore Aura was also a pick for flat/matte and semi-gloss but just missed the top three.)

Best interior paints from our tests

Best flat or matte:

Best eggshell/ satin:

Best semi-gloss:

—Mary H.J. Farrell (@mhjfarrell on Twitter)



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