The Historic Paint Color You Can’t Buy Off the Shelf: Inside Our New England Colonial, Formula Included

Whether you’re restoring an old colonial, building a New England-inspired home, or simply searching for the perfect historic paint color, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. After all, the paint colors you choose help tell the story of your home. Today, I’m sharing the custom historic paint formula we’ve used on the trim and doors throughout our early American home’s four bedrooms for decades. Originally chosen by my parents more than 30 years ago, it was a color I never considered changing when we repainted. Instead, we had it custom matched, and today it’s still one of the defining details of our home’s timeless New England style. Better yet, I’m sharing the exact formula so you can take it to your local paint store and recreate the look in your own home.

The Story Behind This Custom Historic Paint Color

When my parents built our Raeside-Dame home more than 30 years ago, a replica of an early American New England colonial, a style well known throughout the Maine and New Hampshire seacoast, they carefully chose every detail to honor its traditional character. The interior trim throughout the main living areas was painted Benjamin Moore Nantucket Gray, while my mother selected a soft custom blue-gray for the bedroom trim and doors. It’s a color I’ve admired ever since, with just enough warmth to complement the Nantucket Gray while still feeling timeless, classic, and perfectly at home in a New England colonial.

Years later, when I inherited the home, repainting the interior gave me the opportunity to change anything I wanted. But this wasn’t one of those things. We had the original blue professionally color-matched so we could use it again throughout all four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and later on the trim in our newly finished attic guest rooms. Like many early American homes, some of these rooms receive very little natural light while others are bright and sunny, allowing this custom color to reveal its beautiful range. In brighter rooms it feels soft and airy; in darker spaces it becomes richer and moodier, proving that the right historic paint color can become part of a home’s style for generations.

Our Custom Historic Paint Color Formula

When it was time to repaint, I didn’t know the original name of this soft blue-gray, or whether it had ever been a standard paint color at all. Instead, we brought a chip of the original paint to our local Benjamin Moore retailer and had it professionally color-matched. The result is the custom formula below, which allowed us to preserve the same historic paint color my mother chose more than 30 years ago. It’s one of the questions readers ask me most often, so I’m excited to finally share it.

The White Paint That Completes the Look

When we repainted our New England colonial, we decided to brighten the walls with Benjamin Moore Simply White while keeping the original custom blue-gray trim and Benjamin Moore Nantucket Gray throughout the rest of the home. My parents had originally chosen a warmer cream for the walls, but after more than 30 years it had begun to feel a little tired. Simply White was the perfect update. It brightened every room without taking away from the home’s historic character, and against our original plaster walls, it still feels soft, timeless, and authentic rather than stark or modern.

I especially love the way Simply White pairs with this custom historic blue paint color. The crisp white allows the blue-gray trim and doors to stand out while keeping the entire house feeling light and welcoming. Although Simply White is one of Benjamin Moore’s brighter whites, it never feels cold in our old colonial home. If I were choosing a white paint for a historic New England home again, I wouldn’t hesitate to use Simply White.

Benjamin Moore Paint Colors Similar to Our Custom Historic Blue-Gray

Although our home’s trim color is a custom match, several Benjamin Moore historic paint colors capture a very similar look. If you’d rather start with a named paint color instead of a custom formula, these are the ones I would compare first. As always, I recommend painting a sample board and viewing it throughout the day before making your final decision, especially in an older home where natural light can vary dramatically from room to room.

Van Courtland Blue HC-145

Probably the closest Benjamin Moore color to our custom blue-gray. It’s a soft, muted historic blue with just enough gray to feel timeless in a colonial or early American home. If I had to choose the closest Benjamin Moore color, this would be my first choice.

Whipple Blue HC-152

A beautiful historic blue-gray with slightly more depth than our custom color. It works especially well in rooms with plenty of natural light.

Buxton Blue HC-149

A classic colonial blue that feels fresh without becoming too bright. It has a soft, welcoming quality that’s perfect for traditional homes.

Mount Saint Anne 1565

A sophisticated blue-gray with slightly cooler undertones. If you’re looking for a little more gray than blue, this one is worth sampling.

Smoke 2122-40

A quiet blue-gray that leans more neutral than our custom color. It’s a lovely option if you want a softer, understated historic palette.

Wedgewood Gray HC-146

Although Wedgewood Gray is often recommended for historic homes, and it’s a color I’ve also used and love in our Vermont home, it leans noticeably more blue-green than our custom paint color. If you’re hoping for a softer colonial color with just a touch more green, Wedgewood Gray is a beautiful alternative.

While these Benjamin Moore colors are beautiful alternatives, I’ll always have a soft spot for our family’s custom blue-gray. More than 30 years after my parents first chose it, it’s still the color that feels most at home in our New England colonial.

Why This Historic Paint Color Still Feels Right at Home

Some paint colors come and go with decorating trends, but every once in a while you find one that simply feels like home. For our family, this custom historic paint color has done exactly that. My parents chose it more than 30 years ago, and after living with it myself, I never wanted to replace it. From the bedrooms and bathrooms to painted furniture and our attic guest rooms, it’s a color that has quietly become part of our home’s story.

Whether you’re restoring an old home, building a New England-inspired colonial, or simply searching for a historic paint color with timeless character, I hope our family’s custom formula inspires you as much as it has inspired me over the years.

If you decide to try it, I’d love to hear how it looks in your home.

More Paint Colors from Our New England Homes

Every paint color in our homes has been carefully chosen to complement antiques, vintage finds, and the timeless character of New England living. Browse more of our favorite colors below and see how we’ve used them throughout our homes.

Pin forLater!