Looking for the perfect charcoal paint color for your home? Let’s talk about Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart and if it might be right for your home!
If you're drawn to the moody, dramatic, sophistication of an almost-but-not-quite black paint color, then this post is for you!
Charcoal paint colors are beautiful and daring. They can make a bold statement, present as a neutral, or make a room feel cozy.
Charcoal paint colors can look luxurious and refined. They can appear as gray, navy or black depending on the lighting.
Sounds intriguing, right? Benjamin Moore's Cheating Heart is a complex charcoal color that looks great in many spaces.
Let's dive into the details!
Cheating Heart, Benjamin Moore, 1617
Cheating Heart is a deep, moody charcoal with cool blue undertones. Depending on a space's lighting, Cheating Heart can look gray, navy, or black.
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Cheating Heart
Color Family
Cheating Heart is in the gray family.
Light Reflectance Value
9
Light Reflective Value is the measurement of how much light a color bounces around. This is on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being pure black and 100 being pure white.
With an LRV of 9, Cheating Heart is a very dark paint color. If often appears as an almost black.
RGB Colors
R: 75 G: 77 B: 79
RGB describes the amount of each color - red, green, and blue - present in a color. This is on a scale of 0 to 255 for each color. This is basically the color mix to make the color!
Hex Code
#4F5153
Undertones
Cheating Heart has cool blue undertones.
It's one of those colors that is very affected by how much light is in a space.
In south-facing rooms with lots of natural light, Cheating Heart will appear as more of a charcoal. Its blue undertones will be more apparent, preventing it from looking black. Cheating Heart may even look like a deep blue-gray.
In north-facing rooms without much natural light or in interior rooms such as a bathroom, Cheating Heart will most often look black.
It's very important to swatch colors on your wall to make sure they look good – day and night – in your actual space before committing.
Click here to get removable peel & stick paint samples to easily swatch with!
Best uses
I like to use dark paint colors like Cheating Heart for:
- Walls of a room you want to feel cozier such as a bedroom, living room, or den (you can even paint the trim and moldings for a more sophisticated feel)
- Creating a focal point, such as a fireplace
- Built-ins
- Cabinets or a kitchen island
- Accent wall
- Interior or exterior doors
- Shutters
- Home exterior (see more notes on this under the FAQ heading below!)
- Furniture
Similar Colors
- Benjamin Moore French Beret
- Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron
- Behr Night Club
- Sherwin Williams Perle Noir
- Sherwin Williams Iron Ore
- Benjamin Moore Nightfall
- Benjamin Moore Racoon Fur
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Cheating Heart
Coordinating Colors
Cheating Heart is dark enough that it pairs well with virtually any color. It looks great with deep reds, grays, greiges, light blues, light greens, and soft whites, among other colors.
Deep reds:
Mid-toned grays:
Blue-greens:
Trim Colors
Cheating Heart pairs well with soft, warmer whites for trim.
- Sherwin Williams Alabaster
- Benjamin Moore White Dove
- Behr Cameo White
Cheating Heart color palette
Want to use this paint color in your home? Instantly upgrade your home's aesthetic with our exclusive paint color palette. Unlock the perfect trim color and six stunning accent colors, a combination of neutrals and bold hues for an instantly harmonious space!
Get your perfect paint color palette by clicking here!
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Cheating Heart
FAQS
Here are some common frequently asked questions about Cheating Heart.
Does BM Cheating Heart work for the exterior of a home?
Yes, BM Cheating Heart is a popular choice for a home's exterior. In all of that natural light outside, Cheating Heart often looks like deep charcoal, and those blue undertones will be more apparent.
The paint color will appear differently as light changes throughout the day.
Note, if your home is very shaded and doesn't receive much natural light, BM Cheating Heart may appear as black.
BM Cheating Heart pairs well with red brick, warm stone, and warm white trim. Or use BM Cheating Heart for trim as well for a more cohesive look!
It's always best to swatch colors in your space before committing.
Is BM Cheating Heart warm or cool?
BM Cheating Heart is a cool paint color. It features cool blue undertones.
What's the difference: BM Cheating Heart vs BM Hale Navy?
BM Cheating Heart is slightly lighter than BM Hale Navy, with an LRV of 9 vs 8.
Cheating Heart is a charcoal color with blue undertones, meaning it will often appear as a deep charcoal.
Meanwhile, Hale Navy is a navy paint color with gray undertones, so it'll often appear as a muted navy.
It's always best to swatch colors in your space before committing.
What SW color is similar to BM Cheating Heart?
There is not an exact match for paint colors between different brands, and Sherwin Williams does not have a color that is too similar to BM Cheating Heart.
However, SW Perle Noir and SW Iron Ore each share some similarities with BM Cheating Heart.
BM Cheating Heart is slightly lighter than SW Perle Noir, with an LRV of 9 vs 8. However, Cheating Heart is a deep charcoal (almost black!), and Perle Noir is a deep purple (almost black!).
Comparing Cheating Heart to SW Iron Ore, Cheating Heart again appears lighter with an LRV of 9 versus 6. Both are deep charcoal hues, but Cheating Heart carries cool blue undertones, while Iron Ore has subtle green undertones.
All of this to say, it's always best to swatch colors in your space before committing.
What's the difference: BM Cheating Heart vs Wrought Iron?
BM Cheating Heart is slightly lighter than Wrought Iron, with an LRV of 9 vs 8.
Cheating Heart is a deep charcoal with cool blue undertones, which can make it appear as gray, navy, or black, depending on the lighting.
On the other hand, Wrought Iron is a dark gray paint color with a soft blue undertone.
Between the two, Cheating Heart tends to lean towards a bluer hue.
It's always best to swatch colors in your space before committing.
Does BM Cheating Heart look black?
BM Cheating Heart is a deep charcoal that can look black in rooms that lack natural light, such as north-facing rooms, interior bathrooms, or basements. It can also look black on a home's exterior on a shaded lot.
It's always best to swatch colors in your space before committing.
Before you go...
So, you've found the perfect paint color, but here's the thing - there's another big decision you have to make: picking the right paint sheen. Seriously, the level of glossiness can totally change how your color looks on the walls and how long the paint lasts!
Check out our complete guide to understanding paint sheens.
Still unsure which paint color is right for your space?
Choosing paint doesn’t have to be stressful! My free Paint Color Planning Quick Start Guide walks you through the exact steps to confidently choose the perfect color — without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless swatch testing.
👉 Click here to download the free guide!
My Paint Color Formula course walks you through the painless process of expertly testing paint swatches to ensure you have the perfect color for your home.
The best way to sample paint? Samplize!
Get peel-and-stick removable and reusable paint samples here!
Thanks for reading!
Meg Hemmelgarn is a freelance writer and home decor + DIY blogger who loves to talk about paint colors. She and her husband are currently renovating their third fixer upper. You can see their projects on her blog, Green With Decor.
