Color & Sheen Guide
Sheen 101. Sheen is how shiny a paint looks. Lower sheens feel soft and hide bumps. Higher sheens bounce more light and wipe clean more easily.
| Sheen | The look | Where people often use it |
|---|---|---|
| Flat / Matte | Soft and velvety, no shine | Ceilings, bedrooms, formal living and dining rooms |
| Eggshell | A whisper of sheen | Living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and hallways |
| Satin | A soft, pearly glow | Busy halls, kids’ rooms, family rooms and exterior siding |
| Semi-gloss | Noticeably shiny | Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, trim and doors |
| Gloss / High gloss | Glossy and dramatic | Front doors, accent trim, railings and architectural details |
Room by room: popular picks
| Room | Walls | Ceiling | Trim and doors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | Semi-gloss or a washable satin | Flat | Semi-gloss |
| Bathroom | Satin or semi-gloss | Flat or satin | Semi-gloss |
| Bedroom | Flat, matte or eggshell | Flat | Satin or semi-gloss |
| Kids’ rooms and playrooms | Satin or a washable matte | Flat | Semi-gloss |
| Living and dining | Eggshell, or flat in formal rooms | Flat | Semi-gloss |
| Hallways and stairs | Satin or eggshell | Flat | Semi-gloss, or gloss on railings |
| Finished basement | Eggshell or satin | Flat | Semi-gloss |
| Laundry and mudroom | Semi-gloss | Flat or satin | Semi-gloss |
Choosing colors: tips we love.
- Test samples on the wall and look at them in morning, midday and evening light, and under your own lamps.
- North-facing rooms read cooler. West-facing rooms glow in the evening.
- Screens and chips can fool you, so look at a real sample before you decide.
- Be bold. Paint is one of the easiest things in a home to change.
Understanding LRV (Light Reflectance Value)
Each paint color has a number worth knowing. LRV tells you how much light a color reflects, on a scale from 0 to 100. The deepest blacks sit close to 0, and the brightest whites land in the high 80s and low 90s. The higher the number, the more light a color bounces back into your room; the lower the number, the more it soaks up for a rich, cozy look.
Where to find it
Sherwin-Williams prints the LRV on the back of its color chips and lists it in each color’s details online. Benjamin Moore shows it on each color page (White Dove OC-17, for example, is 83.16), and its digital fan decks can sort colors from low LRV to high. It’s a handy way to compare two colors that look alike on a little chip.
Four easy bands
We like to sort colors into four simple bands. They’re our own rule of thumb rather than an industry standard, and they make planning a room a lot more fun.
- DeepLRV under 15
Drama, coziness and contrast. Gorgeous on a feature wall, a lower section below a chair rail, built-ins, interior doors, or a small room you’d like to feel like a jewel box.
Example: Sherwin-Williams® Naval SW 6244, LRV 4
- Mid-toneLRV 15 to 55
Color with presence. Rich enough to feel intentional and easy to live with all day. Lovely in dining rooms, dens and home offices.
Example: Sherwin-Williams® Mindful Gray SW 7016, LRV 48
- LightLRV 55 to 75
Soft, easygoing color that keeps rooms bright. A favorite for open areas, hallways and the “thread” color that ties connected rooms together.
Example: Sherwin-Williams® Agreeable Gray SW 7029, LRV 60
- WhiteLRV over 75
Crisp and luminous. A classic for ceilings and trim, and beautiful on walls when it’s paired with a deeper accent, so the room feels layered rather than flat.
Example: Sherwin-Williams® Pure White SW 7005, LRV 84
Swatches are approximate screen previews. LRVs shown are the values Sherwin-Williams publishes for each color.
Which way does your room face?
- North: cool, even light. Warm undertones and higher-LRV colors help the room feel welcoming, and deep, saturated colors can look wonderfully moody here too.
- South: warm light for much of the day, so most colors are happy here. Warm colors glow even warmer, and cool colors read a little softer.
- East and west: the light shifts through the day, so choose for the hours you use the room most.
Small rooms and low light
- Little daylight? Your lamps do the heavy lifting, so check samples under your own bulbs in the evening. A higher LRV helps bounce that light around.
- Or go deep on purpose. A powder room or snug den in a deep color can feel cozy and intentional, especially with warm lighting.
- Small spaces love a single color family in a few tints and shades, which adds dimension and a sense of space.
LRV and sheen work together
Sheen changes how a color reads. Higher sheens reflect more light, so light colors can look a touch brighter and dark colors a touch deeper, and glossier walls show more of the bumps and patches underneath. Flat and matte finishes are more forgiving. Color chips are usually shown in a low-sheen finish, so if you’re planning semi-gloss or gloss, try a sample in that sheen. The sheen table above has popular picks, room by room.
Balance: a deep accent, a lighter tint and 60/30/10
Love a deep color? Let it lead on one wall, such as the wall behind the bed, around a fireplace or below a chair rail, and give the remaining walls a lighter tint from the same color family. The deep color shines, and the room feels layered and intentional. Sherwin-Williams suggests the 60-30-10 idea for balance: about 60% of a main color, about half as much (30%) of a second color, and 10% for small accents.
A bedroom example
- About 60%: remaining walls in Wondrous Blue SW 6807 (LRV 59)
- About 30%: the headboard wall in Naval SW 6244 (LRV 4)
- About 10%: trim, doors and ceiling in Extra White SW 7006 (LRV 86)
Prefer one color throughout? A full color drench can be gorgeous, too. Our Paint Color Questionnaire suggests a balanced plan for each room and lets you choose a single color throughout any room you like.
Browse colors
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