We’re starting something new on the blog: a color of the month. One paint color, picked for the season we’re in, with a little on why we like it and where it works. Some months it’ll be a Benjamin Moore color, some months a Sherwin-Williams one. No pressure to run out and paint. Just a good color worth knowing about, and an easy way to picture what your own space could feel like.
September is the perfect place to start, because September is when the light changes. The sun drops lower, the evenings come earlier, and the same room that felt bright and airy all summer suddenly wants to feel a little cozier. So this month we’re leaning into warmth.
This month’s pick: Benjamin Moore Cinnamon Slate 2113-40
Cinnamon Slate is a warm, dusky plum with brown and rose running underneath it. It reads as a soft, grounded neutral in some light and a rich, enveloping color in others, which is exactly what makes it special. It isn’t a loud color and it isn’t a boring one. It’s the kind of shade that makes a room feel considered and calm the second you walk in.
If gray has felt a little cold to you lately, this is the warm way out. It has the sophistication of a deep neutral with none of the chill.
Where it shines
Cinnamon Slate does its best work in the rooms you want to feel intimate. A primary bedroom that you want to feel like a retreat. A dining room that comes alive under warm light in the evening. A study or a home office where a little depth on the walls helps you focus. It’s also a beautiful accent wall if a whole room feels like too much of a commitment.
A quick word on light, because it matters more than the chip in the store suggests. In a north-facing room with cool Pacific Northwest daylight, Cinnamon Slate leans more slate and gray. In a warmer, south or west-facing room, the cinnamon and rose come forward. That shift is a feature, not a flaw, but it’s exactly why we always recommend seeing a real sample on your actual wall before you commit. The lighting in your home is the deciding vote.
How to pair it
Cinnamon Slate is easy to build a room around:
- Trim and ceilings: a warm white like Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17 keeps everything soft and cohesive. Avoid a stark, cool white, which fights the warmth.
- Wood tones: it’s gorgeous next to natural oak, walnut, and warm-stained cedar. If your home has wood beams or built-ins, this color loves them.
- Metals: brass and aged bronze bring out the richness. Brushed nickel works if you want it quieter.
- Companion colors: creamy whites, soft taupes, and deep greens all sit beautifully beside it.
Why now
Beyond the way it looks, September is genuinely the right time to think about interior color, and not just because of the mood. The fall and winter are our quiet season, which means when you book interior work now, you get faster scheduling, more of the crew’s attention, and a fresh, warm home right in time for the holidays. A color like this one, on the walls before the guests arrive, changes how the whole season feels.
See it in your space
The best way to know if a color is right is to stop imagining it and look at it. If Cinnamon Slate has your attention, we’re happy to put a real sample on your wall so you can watch how it moves with your light through the day. And if you’re already thinking about a fall or winter interior project, that’s a good conversation to start now while the calendar has room.
We paint homes throughout Mill Creek, Bothell, Edmonds, Mukilteo, Snohomish, and the surrounding communities. Start a no-pressure conversation at tenhulzenconstruction.com.
Check back next month for the October color of the month, a Sherwin-Williams pick for the heart of fall.
Scott Tenhulzen
