Balboa Mist (BM 1549) vs Calm (BM OC-22)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Calm, LRV 75.8 vs 65.5.
- Warmer
- Balboa Mist (Lab b* 5.4 vs 2.7). Balboa Mist reads greige; Calm reads neutral white.
- North rooms
- Calm: keeps more brightness (L* 86.7 vs 81.8 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 0.1 vs 3.9).
- Trim that works
- Mountain Peak White BM 2148-70, #F7F5EB, LRV 88.6: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.9, noticeably different. At 3.9, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Balboa Mist (BM 1549) is darker than Calm (BM OC-22) and slightly warmer: LRV 65.5 vs 75.8, deltaE 3.9 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Balboa Mist | Calm | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 1549 | OC-22 | |
| Hex | #DAD6CC | #E6E4DF | |
| RGB | 218, 214, 204 | 230, 228, 223 | |
| HSL | 43°, 16%, 83% | 43°, 12%, 89% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 65.5 | 75.8 | −10.3 |
| Lab L* | 85.7 | 90.6 | −4.9 |
| Lab a* | -0.4 | -0.2 | −0.2 |
| Lab b* | 5.4 | 2.7 | +2.8 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | neutral | |
| Color family | Greige | Off-white |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Balboa Mist (BM 1549), published as #DAD6CC
#C9CCCA
#ECE0CC
Calm (BM OC-22), published as #E6E4DF
#D4DADD
#F8EEDF
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Which should you pick
Rules of thumb computed from the LRV and Lab values in the table above; no room test was done.
- Pick Calm (BM OC-22) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 10.3 LRV points lighter (75.8 vs 65.5), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Calm (BM OC-22) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 2.7 against 5.4, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Balboa Mist (BM 1549) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 5.4), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Balboa Mist in other brands
Closest matches to Calm in other brands
Common questions
- Is Balboa Mist the same color as Calm?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.9. Most people can see the difference between Balboa Mist and Calm side by side.
- Which is lighter, Balboa Mist or Calm?
- Calm, with an LRV of 75.8 against 65.5.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02). Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.