Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest AF-480

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Official page:Boreal Forest AF-480
Code:AF-480
Name:Boreal Forest
Brand:Benjamin Moore

What color is Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest?

Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest AF-480 is a muted, medium-dark green with a noticeable gray cast and a gently earthy olive undertone. Its softened depth keeps it from reading as a bright botanical green, giving walls a grounded, quiet presence instead. In daylight, Boreal Forest can appear more balanced and gray-green, while lower or warmer light tends to draw out its mossy, olive side. It is especially effective in studies, dining rooms, powder rooms, and bedrooms where a deeper wall color feels appropriate without becoming overly dramatic. Pair it with warm off-whites, putty tones, aged brass, natural oak, or cognac leather for a layered, material-rich look. This shade also has enough restraint for painted cabinetry or an exterior door against light stone or creamy trim.

Boreal Forest for bedroom (3 photos)

We’ve hand-picked a beautiful collection of photos of this amazing green shade used in real bedrooms. Take a look and imagine how this wonderful cool dark paint color could transform your own bedroom space.

Boreal Forest bedroom review
@bryanspainting
Boreal Forest bedroom color-block
@bryanspainting
Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest accent wall
@winterinteriordesign

Benjamin Moore AF-480 for bathroom (6 photos)

Looking for inspiration for your dream bathroom renovation project? These beautiful handpicked photos will show you this delightfully cool dark green real bathrooms.

Boreal Forest bathroom review
@amypacettihomes
Boreal Forest bathroom makeover
@tett_house
Benjamin Moore AF-480 bathroom interior
@tett_house
Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest bathroom interior
@tett_house
Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest bathroom review
@tett_house
Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest bathroom color
@stiljames.studio

Benjamin Moore AF-480 on kitchen cabinets

Want a stylish kitchen? View real-life photo examples of this fascinating cool green hue is paired with backsplashes, countertops, and hardware.

Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest kitchen cabinets color
@ohara_interiors

Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest reviews (4 photos)

View the photos of real spaces painted with this green that were not included in specific categories. Close-ups, painted furniture, storages and dressers, hallways, stairs and ceilings.

Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest accent wall
@havenandco.yxe
Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest home office
@ltprojectsanddesign
Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest home office color
@ltprojectsanddesign
Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest kids' room
@vonbumannhomes

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What are Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest undertones?

Boreal Forest AF-480 reads as a deep, muted green with low saturation and a dark overall value. In the supplied digital sample, it leans slightly yellow-green rather than blue-green, giving the green a subtly earthy cast. Benjamin Moore describes it as a “deep forest green,” which aligns with its clearly green main color family and substantial depth. Warm artificial light may bring out more of its yellow-green side, while cool daylight can make it appear a bit cooler and more subdued.

Manufacturer information used in this description: official color page.

HEX value:

#535F4E

RGB code:

83, 95, 78

Is Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest cool or warm?

warm
cool
Color wheel

With a hue of 102°, this dark green leans cool, but it is near the neutral line and may feel warmer in certain lighting.

AF-480 Boreal Forest HSL code: 102, 10%, 34%

Hue - degree on a color wheel from 0 to 360. 0 is red, 120 is green, and 240 is blue.
Saturation is expressed as a percentage. At 0%, it appears as a shade of grey, and at 100%, it is in full color.
Lightness is also a percentage value. 0% is black, and 100% is white.

How light temperature affects Boreal Forest

Natural Lighting. During the day, natural light shifts from about 2000 K at sunrise/sunset to 5500–6500 K at noon.

Bedroom daylight mockup
Bedroom overlay
Sunrise
Morning
Noon
Afternoon
Sunset

In addition, natural-light temperature depends on its direction:

Direction of sunlightVisible temp.HueDuration
NorthCoolBluishAll day
EastWarmYellowBefore noon
WestWarmOrange-redAfter noon
SouthWarmOrange-yellowAll day

Artificial Lighting. When choosing bulbs, pay attention to their color temperature in Kelvins.
Use the slider to see how this dark green shade looks under different lighting:

Living-room mockup
Living-room overlay

4000K

2000K
3000K
4000K
5000K
6000K
7000K

Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Benjamin Moore Boreal Forest:

Monochromatic color scheme

Monochromatic color scheme

This scheme consists of various shades, tints, and tones of a single color. While it offers a perfect combination of hues, without accent décor it may become monotonous.

Lighter shades

Darker shades

AF-480
Boreal Forest

Complementary color scheme

Complementary color scheme

This color scheme is a combination of two shades that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The high contrast between these colors creates a vibrant and dynamic visual effect. For the color Boreal Forest with a yellow hue, complementary colors are those with a purple hue close to 282, such as Benjamin Moore Iris Bliss and Grappa.

LRV of Boreal Forest

Boreal Forest has an LRV of 12.17% and refers to Medium Dark which means that this color reflects very little lightWhy LRV is important?

Light Reflectance Value scale illustration

Light Reflectance Value measures the amount of visible and usable light that reflects from a painted surface.
Simply put, the higher the LRV of a paint color, the brighter the room you will get.
The scale goes from 0% (absolute black, absorbing all light) to 100% (pure white, reflecting all light).

Act like a pro: When choosing paint with an LRV of 12.17%, pay attention to your bulbs' brightness. Light brightness is measured in lumens. The lower the paint's LRV, the higher lumen level you need. Every square foot of room needs at least 40 lumens. That means for a 200 ft2 living room you'll need about 8000 lumens of light – e.g., eight 1000 lm bulbs.

Color codes

We have collected almost every possible color code you could ever need.
Not sure what the difference between HEX and RGB is? We break down color models in plain language. Understanding color models

FormatCode
HEX#535F4E
RGB Decimal83, 95, 78
RGB Percent32.55%, 37.25%, 30.59%
HSVHue: 102° Saturation: 17.89% Value: 37.25%
HSLhsl(102, 10, 34)
CMYKCyan: 12.63 Magenta: 0.0 Yellow: 17.89 Key: 62.75
YIQY: 89.474 I: -1.688 Q: -7.829
XYZX: 9.034 Y: 10.573 Z: 8.771
CIE LabL:38.852 a:-8.247 b:8.199
CIE LuvL:38.852 u:-5.816 v:11.272
Decimal5463886
Hunter Lab32.517, -7.311, 6.77

Color equivalents