Light grey · Living room · colors from 3 paintings
Light Grey Paint for Living Room: Three Shades and What to Pair Them With
The best light grey paint for a living room depends on your light. This page shows three greys measured from paintings: a cool blue grey, a neutral grey and a green grey. It also shows three colors from the same paintings to pair with them.
Quick answer
Use the blue grey (#B5C5CC) on the walls of a bright room and the green grey (#AAB2A9) on furniture or walls in a calmer one. Add the clay brown and golden ochre in wood and one accent piece.
Every color on this page was measured from one of these public-domain paintings.
Shades of light grey
#B5C5CCLRV 54
Cool Blue Grey
The lightest of the three greys at LRV 54, with a cool blue undertone. Use it on living room walls in a south- or west-facing room, where it stays fresh. Measured from Childe Hassam's "New England Headlands" (1899).
At LRV 44 with no clear undertone, this grey stays quiet behind art, rugs and patterned fabric. It suits a living room where you do not want the walls to lean blue or green. Measured from Botticelli's "Madonna and Child with Two Angels."
A light grey with a green undertone at LRV 43. It works well on walls or on a sofa or cabinet in a room with wood, plants or garden views. Measured from Francesco Casanova's "Cavalier and Shepherd."
A very light green-tinged shade at LRV 70, lighter than all three greys. Use it for curtains, a throw or a soft ceiling color beside the sage grey. Measured from Francesco Casanova's "Cavalier and Shepherd."
Sherwin-Williams SW 6455 Fleeting Green
Very close
Valspar 5007-3B Mellow Spring
Close
Farrow & Ball No. 204 Pale Powder
Close
#855D4FLRV 13
Deep Clay Brown
A deep color at LRV 13 with a warm red-orange undertone. Use it for a coffee table, bookcase or floor stain to warm up cool grey walls. Measured from Botticelli's "Madonna and Child with Two Angels."
A mid-tone at LRV 32 with a warm yellow undertone. Keep it to one piece, such as an armchair, cushion or lamp base. Measured from Botticelli's "Madonna and Child with Two Angels."
The same paint reads differently in cool north light, warm south sun and under evening lamps. Find the column closest to your room.
Color
Neutral daylight
North light
South light
Evening lamps
Cool Blue Grey
Soft Neutral Grey
Sage Grey
Pale Sage
Golden Ochre
Try these colors in a room
Pick which color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and trim follow your choice.
The framed picture on the wall is New England Headlands.
How do I choose between these light greys?
Start with LRV and undertone. The blue grey (#B5C5CC) has an LRV of 54 and a cool blue undertone. The neutral grey (#B2B1B6) has an LRV of 44 and no clear undertone. The green grey (#AAB2A9) has an LRV of 43 and a green undertone. All three sit below about 60, so they read as true soft greys, not near-whites.
Pick the blue grey if you want the brightest walls and a cool, airy feel. Pick the neutral grey if the walls should stay quiet behind art, rugs and a patterned sofa. Pick the green grey if the room looks out on trees or holds a lot of wood and plants.
The closest measured Sherwin-Williams matches are SW 9145 Sleepy Hollow, SW 6261 Swanky Gray and SW 6206 Oyster Bay, each near-identical. Behr PPU13-14 Ozone is also near-identical to the blue grey, and Behr 730B-4 Winter Cocoa is very close to the neutral.
What goes with light grey walls: trim, ceiling and floors?
Keep trim and ceiling lighter than the walls. A clean white or very pale shade on both gives the grey a crisp edge. Because these greys sit between LRV 43 and 54, almost any white will look clearly lighter beside them.
For a softer look, the pale sage (#D2DDCF, LRV 70) works on curtains, a throw or a ceiling in a room with the sage grey. It is lighter than all three greys and shares the green undertone of #AAB2A9.
For floors and wood, the deep clay brown (#855D4F, LRV 13) suits a coffee table, bookcase or floor stain. Its warm red-orange undertone balances the cool blue grey well. Add the golden ochre (#C48E44, LRV 32) in one place only: an armchair, a cushion or a lamp base. One warm accent is enough to keep grey walls from feeling flat.
How will light grey look in the light of my living room?
Grey changes more with light than most colors. A north-facing living room gets cool, even daylight, so the blue grey can turn chilly there. The neutral grey or sage grey usually feels calmer. In a south-facing room the daylight is warmer and stronger, and the blue grey stays fresh instead of cold.
East-facing rooms are brightest in the morning and flatter later. West-facing rooms warm up in the evening, and that low sun softens every grey on this page a little.
Check the room after dark too. Warm bulbs add yellow to grey walls. Cooler bulbs push them toward blue. Choose one bulb color for the room and judge the paint under it.
Keep LRV in mind as well. At 43 to 54, these walls reflect roughly half the light that reaches them, so a dim room will look darker than a small sample suggests. In a dark room, lean toward the blue grey, which has the highest LRV.
How do I test light grey samples?
Test before you buy a gallon. Paint two coats on a board or large sheet of poster board, about two feet square. Leave a white border so you judge the color, not the old wall.
Tape the boards to different walls. Check them in the morning, at midday and in the evening, then again at night under your lamps. Move them next to the sofa, rug, curtains and floor, because the colors around a grey change how it looks.
Test all three greys side by side. A grey that looks right alone can look blue or green beside another. If you like more than one, choose by the light in the room, not by the chip.
Add the companion colors to the test. Hold a fabric swatch or a piece of wood against each board. If a grey fights the wood, move on to the next one.
FAQ
What is the best light grey paint for a small living room?
Try the blue grey (#B5C5CC). At LRV 54 it reflects the most light of the three, which helps a small room feel more open. Test it first in your own light, since a north-facing room can make it look cool.
Is light grey too cold for a living room?
It can be, but it does not have to be. The neutral grey (#B2B1B6) and the sage grey (#AAB2A9) feel less cold than the blue grey. Warm wood and one golden accent also take the chill off.
Can I use the same light grey in a sitting room?
Yes. A sitting room is judged the same way as a living room: by daylight, bulbs and the furniture around the walls. Test a sample there at different times of day before you commit.
What LRV should light grey paint have?
Above about 60 reads light and bounces light, and below about 20 reads very dark. The greys here sit at LRV 43 to 54, so they read as soft mid-light greys. If you want a lighter grey, look for a higher LRV.
What color wood goes with light grey walls?
Warm wood with a red-orange undertone, like the deep clay brown (#855D4F), contrasts well with cool grey walls. Honey or golden tones also work, and the golden ochre (#C48E44) shows how that warmth looks as an accent.
Save these colors
A card with every color on this page, its LRV and the paintings it comes from. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.
Painting images: The Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain (CC0).
Colors measured by Light & Pigment. Paint names belong to their brands and matches are approximate. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.
From New England Headlands, Childe Hassam
