Recommended Free Tools
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Free scan · no reinstall
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteFree scan · under a minute
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
Free scan · Windows 10 & 11
ThatPainter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More
Benjamin Moore Evening Dove is the dark color anchoring Amanda Mactas’s library-inspired apartment living room: designer Kim Liptak used it on both the walls and shelving, then painted the ceiling Benjamin Moore Abalone. Built-in bookcases, picture lights, custom drapery, and a mix of antique and modern furnishings complete the transformation. The result is one professionally designed home—not proof that a single paint color will create the same effect in every room.
From workout space to library-inspired hangout
Before the makeover, Mactas’s living room was largely unused. Designer Kim Liptak recalled, “I never did anything at all in the living room,” Kim says. Mactas described the room’s former role: “It still had moving boxes in it when I finally hired Kim and was simply a place I could get my workouts in.”
Mactas wanted a room with “the feel of an old library” but not a strictly traditional look. “I really like the feel of an old library, but I also love some elements of more modern style,” she says. The finished space became a home hangout centered on books, while retaining contemporary comfort.
#1 Best Overall
- Prestige Paints has created a comparable Color based on Color specifications of the original Color using industry leading technology
- This Benjamin Moore paint Color Name is a trademark of Benjamin Moore. Prestige Paints is not associated or affiliated with Benjamin Moore in any way
- Smooth application ideal for living rooms, family rooms, media rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens and hallways
- 100% Acrylic latex paint for easy soap and water clean-up
- Low VOC: less than 5 g/L prior to tinting
Evening Dove on the walls and shelving
The makeover’s named wall color is Benjamin Moore Evening Dove, used on the walls and shelving. A separate, lighter shade—Benjamin Moore Abalone—covers the ceiling. That distinction matters: the room’s palette is not a single color applied everywhere. Custom drapery adds to the jewel-toned scheme.
The colors are part of a larger composition. Built-in shelving gives the room its library character, while picture lights highlight the books. Antique and first-edition books, along with a family antique mirror, bring history into the space. A green velvet sofa, side tables, a rug, and a distinctive bone-inlay coffee table balance those older pieces with newer furnishings.
Rank #2
- Prestige Paints has created a comparable Color based on Color specifications of the original Color using industry leading technology
- This Benjamin Moore paint Color Name is a trademark of Benjamin Moore. Prestige Paints is not associated or affiliated with Benjamin Moore in any way
- Smooth application ideal for living rooms, family rooms, media rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens and hallways
- 100% Acrylic latex paint for easy soap and water clean-up
- Low VOC: less than 5 g/L prior to tinting
Bookcases made the library effect possible
The project incorporated two bookshelf areas. Near the apartment entrance, an existing shelf area was adapted with an added piece so its bottom shelf would not sit at floor level. The design also added a large wall of bookshelves to the living room, where Mactas keeps first-edition and antique books.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Apartment Therapy’s Sarah Everett reported that the new large bookcase wall took about two months to build professionally and two days to install. Those are durations for this particular project, not a standard timeline for custom shelving. Hardware and picture lights help make the built-ins feel integrated into the room rather than like storage alone.
Rank #3
- Brand: Benjamin moore
- Container type: Box
- Finish type: Opa
What gives the room its mix of old and new
The dark paint and full bookcases set the scene, but the furnishings keep it from reading as a period reproduction. A green velvet sofa and contemporary side tables sit alongside antique books and a family mirror. The bone-inlay coffee table adds a more playful, graphic note. Liptak says, “I love how unique the piece is on its own and how it adds a bit of fun to the room,” she says. Mactas agrees: “I could sit and look at it all day,” Amanda says.
Mactas described the overall feeling as “cozy and fun, without it feeling old or outdated,” as Amanda puts it. That is her response to this particular room, rather than a general guarantee about dark paint or library-style interiors.
Rank #4
!['BENJAMIN MOORE' CLASSIC COLORS FAN DECK [CASE OF 1]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Xq67AO80L._SL160_.jpg)
- Very good condition
- Benjamin Moore Classic Colors Fan Deck
- Classic Colors
- Includes the American Classic Colors (AC)
Could this approach work in your living room?
This makeover offers a useful design reference, but not a universal paint formula. It shows Evening Dove paired with Abalone on the ceiling, custom drapery, built-ins, lighting, and carefully chosen furnishings in one apartment. The feature provides no measured color or lighting data, and it does not establish that Evening Dove alone makes a room feel cozy or library-like.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Benjamin Moore AP1000099-01 White 1 Gallon Insl-x Prime Flat Water-Based Acrylic Latex Primer, 128 Fl Oz
- Made in United States
- For a similar library mood: consider how wall and shelf color, book storage, lighting, and furnishings will work together rather than treating paint as the only ingredient.
- For a less permanent route: freestanding bookcases and reversible decorating changes avoid the level of construction used here, though the feature does not compare their appearance or performance with custom built-ins.
- For a rental: this specific makeover is not rental-friendly. The apartment underwent demolition to create a larger closet and bathroom, and the living room received new built-in shelving.
- Before choosing paint: check Benjamin Moore’s current color samples and available finishes, and assess the colors in your own room’s lighting. The feature does not identify the paint finish or provide measured color readings.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
