Greige Color Palette and the Colors That Go With It

How do I choose between the two greiges?

Start with how much light you want the color to hold. The mid-tone greige, #9B968E, has an LRV of 31. It reads as a true mid-tone and absorbs more light than it returns. The lighter greige, #BAAEA2, has an LRV of 43. It reads light but not bright, so it opens a room without turning pale.

Both share a warm yellow undertone, so they sit together easily. Use the lighter one on walls where you want a calm backdrop. Use the darker one where you want weight: a sofa, a built-in, a cabinet run or a single accent wall in a bright room.

The closest matches measured are Sherwin-Williams SW 9170 Acier and Behr MQ2-60 Iron Gate for the darker shade, and Sherwin-Williams SW 6073 Perfect Greige and Behr PPU18-13 Perfect Taupe for the lighter one. Farrow & Ball No. 243 Charleston Gray and No. 267 Dove Tale are very close. If your room is small and gets little daylight, lean toward the lighter shade.

What goes with greige: trim, ceiling and floors?

Pair greige with colors that share its warmth, then add one or two contrasts. The warm cream, #FCE2BE, has an LRV of 79. It works on the ceiling and on trim, where it keeps the yellow undertone in step with the greige walls. The closest matches measured are Sherwin-Williams SW 7686 Hinoki and Behr P240-1 Cheese Powder.

For flooring, a mid-brown wood such as #8B6B4A suits both greiges. Its warmth echoes their yellow undertone, and it is darker than either one, so the floor feels grounded.

Use the near-black, #252020 (LRV 2), in small amounts: window frames, picture frames, lamp bases, hardware. The deep red, #713232 (LRV 6), suits one bold piece, such as an armchair or a painted door. The pale blue gray, #B6C5C5 (LRV 54), is the cool option. Try it on a bedroom wall or in curtains beside a warm greige sofa. Give the cool color one role so the room does not split into two palettes.

How does greige behave in the light of your room?

Light changes greige more than most colors, because it sits between warm and cool. Both greiges here have a warm yellow undertone. In a south or west room, or under warm evening lamps, that warmth shows and the walls feel soft. In a north-facing room, daylight is cooler and the same paint can look grayer and flatter.

LRV matters too. At 31, the mid-tone greige takes in a lot of light. In a dim room it can read darker than the swatch, so it suits furniture or a feature wall better than all four walls. At 43, the lighter greige bounces more light and handles a shadowy room more easily, though it will not feel bright.

The pale blue gray, with its cool blue undertone, shifts the other way. Next to warm greige it can look fresher in sun and grayer in shade. The cream, at LRV 79, brightens whatever it touches, so use it on the ceiling in rooms that need lift. Check each color at the time of day you use the room most.

How do I test these colors before painting?

Test before you buy gallons. Paint each sample on a large piece of poster board, or directly on the wall, at least two feet square. Leave a white border around it so the surrounding color does not change how you see it.

Move the boards around the room. Look at them in morning light, at midday and in the evening with lamps on. Hold them next to your flooring, your trim color and your largest fabric. A greige that looks right in the store may lean yellow beside your floor.

Test the pairs together, not just single colors. Put the lighter greige beside the cream, then the darker greige beside the pale blue gray. For the deep red and the near-black, a small swatch on a door or a piece of furniture is enough.

The paint names on this page are the closest matches measured to colors from the paintings. Some are very close rather than identical, and Sherwin-Williams SW 6990 Caviar is a close match to the near-black. Compare it against your other samples before committing.