Define a Room’s Mood with Quartz and the Benjamin Moore 2026 Color of the Year

Color has the power to shift how we feel in a space, making it one of the most impactful tools in a designer’s toolbox. That emotional influence and the ability to specifically curate a mood or feeling in a room is why Cambria and Benjamin Moore connected on how Benjamin Moore's Color Trends 2026 palette pairs with a few of Cambria’s warm white quartz designs to create the sensorial experiences we crave in our spaces. Think of this as your guide to pairing the latest paint colors and quartz surfaces in ways that don’t just define a room’s look, but also its mood, offering a fresh framework for creating interiors that are truly personal and beautiful.

We sat down with Benjamin Moore’s Color Marketing & Development Specialist Molly Lynch to learn a bit about how Benjamin Moore arrived at its Color of the Year 2026 and corresponding palette—referenced together as Tailored Classics.

“We were really inspired by suiting,” says Lynch. Think of a stylishly put-together suit. The aspects of thoughtfully assembling a look in fashion is similar in a home. When you pair everything well, you design a space that feels enduring.

Leaning into “classic” is born of what Lynch says has been, “trend cycles going so quickly, it’s been hard for people to keep up from an interiors perspective.” Whether it’s concern over budgeting for limitless change or the environmental impact of that, Lynch says, “We’re starting to notice a slowdown in the trend cycle. People are looking for something classic that they don’t have to think about changing constantly.” Welcome Tailored Classics anchored by the Benjamin Moore Color of the Year 2026—Silhouette AF-655, an elegant color that weaves rich esprresso hues with refined notes of charcoal.

Now, let’s dive into those tips for pairing this beautiful paint palette with select Cambria quartz designs for four put-together looks that reflect a variety of feelings you can create in your spaces.

Feeling: Inviting

Cambria’s movement-rich Everleigh Warm design used for the fireplace and wainscotting pictured above features a warm background with gray and sand-honey hues. It’s paired with the Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year 2026, Silhouette AF-655. Lynch says, “Silhouette AF-655 sits between black and brown. It’s a gorgeous hue, working beautifully in a variety of spaces. Classic and refined, it pairs well with a range of colors.”

In a home that might have a lot of neutrals, you may be looking for a way to bring in a touch more drama to your space. Silhouette AF-655 presents an elegant option to introduce a bold color aspect while making a space feel cozy and inviting.

COLOR TIP: When selecting darker paint colors that still read as neutral, the key lies in the undertone. Deep hues with balanced, muted undertones tend to act as versatile backdrops rather than dominating statements. These subtle undertones prevent the color from feeling stark or overly saturated, allowing the depth of the shade to add sophistication and intimacy without overwhelming the space.

Feeling: Peaceful

This bathroom features Ironsbridge on the vanity and shower walls, a quartz design that Cambria’s Head of Design Summer Kath says, “captures that calm, restorative energy. It’s a surface that feels grounding, peaceful, and effortlessly serene.” You enter this space just past Silhouette-painted hallway closet doors into a relaxing oasis with walls painted in Benjamin Moore's Batik AF-610. This color is one of Lynch’s personal favorites in this year’s palette; a soft violet mauve that features enough gray and brown in the undertone to evoke a calming and peaceful aesthetic. She says, “Bringing an effervescent, delicate touch to the space, Batik AF-610 is similar to Cinnamon Slate, 2113-40, Color of the Year 2025. A head nod to the referenced slower pace of change that still embraces a current design sensibility.

The ceiling and trim are painted in Benjamin Moore's First Crush CSP-310. Lynch loves using this gentle off-white in powder rooms and bathrooms due to the whisper of pink in its undertone, creating an ethereal glow. She says, “You know, when you put on a bit of blush in the morning, it makes you feel a little more alive? That’s what a pink or a white paint with a blush undertone will add to your lighting. That’s why I really love colors like First Crush CSP-310 for powder rooms, or even spaces where you work from home and might be taking a lot of virtual meetings, they give you that boost of confidence.”

QUARTZ TIP: Since countertops are a longer-term investment, it’s important to pay attention to your countertop surface undertones to pair them with the best wall, trim, and cabinet paint colors.

Feeling: Elegant

In this primary bathroom, Cambria’s Kenwood design has a creamy, marbled ivory backdrop with taupe veining and delicate white crackles that together create a look that is elegant and sophisticated. The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Narragansett Green HC-157, a deeper green hue with a touch of black in the undertone, making it polished teal. Bringing an unexpected elegance to a bathroom, its rich blue-green depth creates a cocooning sense of calm that feels vibrant yet sophisticated.

The ceiling is painted with Benjamin Moore's Swiss Coffee OC-45, a perennial off-white hue. And although light or white ceilings are common enough, some trend-forward designers are experimenting with color capping. Unlike color drenching which, as the name suggests, drenches an entire room—walls, trim, and ceiling—in one color, color capping is more of a tonal shift in the same or similar colors from wall to ceiling.

Whichever your preferred technique, Lynch says, “I’m a huge fan of painting the ceiling.” It has a real design impact. A lighter ceiling color can make a space feel more open while a darker color on the ceiling closes in a space just enough to make it feel cozy. If you choose to color cap or even use a darker color on just the ceiling, it can bring in more drama without going all the way into color drenching.

COLOR TIP: Lighting will impact the mood in your space. When selecting countertops and paint colors, consider how much natural light your room gets and where it’s coming from. Eastern morning light is bright and cool. Western afternoon light is warmer. Although undertones shift in natural versus artificial light, intensity and brightness are more under your control with artificial light, allowing you to select lighting specifically to set a space’s tone. 

Feeling: Soft

Designing for romance and femininity shifts a kitchen from being purely utilitarian into something that feels personal, expressive, and emotionally resonant. Ornamental millwork, curved islands, arched doorways, and delicate stone veining can soften a space and create a sense of welcoming and lived-in comfort.

The Annaleigh island, countertop, and backsplash in this kitchen has a lustrous, alabaster-hued background with marbled honey accents, charcoal gray veins, and delicate ebony flecks for unparalleled depth. Kath says, “Annaleigh draws inspiration from the graceful rhythm of a handwritten love letter—soft curves, flowing lines, and a sense of timeless intimacy. There’s a tenderness to its movement, like the drift of silk or the trace of a memory, creating a space that feels effortlessly romantic and beautifully lived in.”

Swiss Coffee OC-45 on walls and ceiling pairs perfectly with the countertop design. And cabinetry painted in Silhouette, anchors the space. Lynch says, “That's the beauty of Silhouette AF-655. It can feel a little warmer or cooler, depending on where you pair it. If you have a lot of warm bronze or gold tones, and warm white hues in the space, it might cast a touch warmer. Whereas, if you lean heavily into grays and silvers, it might cast slightly cooler.” 

QUARTZ TIP: Quartz surfaces with gentle, flowing veining, rather than bold, dramatic patterns, enhance a serene, romantic atmosphere. Think soft gray lines on creamy white undertones. And a polished or Cambria Luxe™ finish reflects light for a luminous, airy mood in the space.