Repose Gray from Sherwin Williams (SW7015) – Fabulously Neutral

Why Repose Gray from Sherwin Williams is so versatile and works in almost every room!

These days, my top two “go to” paint colors have been Repose Gray and Agreeable Gray.  Why?  Because they are so neutral and flexible that they tend to work in almost every home and every room of the home.

I recently dedicated a whole blog post to Agreeable Gray which you can read here.   So, I thought I would give Repose Gray its day in the sun.  These two shades are rather similar and they have the same strengths, and work for the same reasons.

 

They are both Greiges and the warm grays end to pull in both warm and cool colors in the room just tying things together in a nice little bow.

 

Repose Gray is a bit cooler and more gray, and Agreeable Gray is a bit more warmer and more beige.  I recommend my customer look at both of them in their home and their own lighting to see which looks better.  Usually one of these 2 colors just calls out to you (you’ll see what I mean when carry the swatches around the room).

 

One of the many reasons I love Repose Gray is that it goes so well with hardwood floors – something near and dear to my heart.  Repose Gray works so well with dark hardwood floors, and light hardwood floors.  And, it’s one of the few colors that also works well with red floors (or hardwood with red undertones).  But, I will say that often Agreeable Gray works a bit better with red toned woods as it’s a tad warmer.

 

Repose Gray tends to also complement most furniture colors and area rugs too.  It’s one of those miracle colors.

 

Please note that this article contains affiliate links and you can read my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.

Get The Printable PDF

I have everything that you need is here in this article. But it is a long read. If it’s more convenient, you can purchase the PDF file for only $5. It has the full article (including pictures). This way you can print it out and will be available for you to refer to anytime you want. (Click on the book below to purchase)

I would love to give it to you for free, but it cost money to have an online store and it’s expensive to maintain a blog. I would love your support so I can continue to help those who need it. You can purchase it here.

 

 

Note: If you’re planning on painting yourself, here are some  helpful tools to make the job faster and easier.

 

  And, this Painting and Flooring Planner will organize your paint shades, finishes and flooring choices by room.

 

What is greige?

Greige is mixture of gray and beige (see below for how to pronounce it).  It’s a warmer gray.  A cool gray has blue undertone so it looks cooler (and often makes a room feel cooler…and yest that’s our brains playing tricks to us).  Warm grays have beige, brown and green undertones.

 

 

Greiges are still on the cool side of the color spectrum, but they are noticeably warmer than cool grays.  And, I even find that some people who are “afraid” of gray…or just sick of it…love greiges.

 

Cool grays were incredibly stylish for the last decade, but now we are seeing a strong shift towards warm grays or greiges.  You can read about my top greige selections in this article 9 Amazing Warm Grays and Greiges. Or if you prefer cool grays (or just want to explore them for comparison, check out 11 Awesome Cool Gray Paint Shades.

 

Warm grays seem to create a bridge between warm and cool tones.  They work with both sets of colors in a room, so they are very versatile.

 

A very common question I hear is “How do you pronounce Greige?” Is it with a long A, like “gray” or a long E like “ease?” Well select “play” below and you’ll find out.

Repose Gray coordinating colors for accent walls

For Repose Gray (SW 7015), my top 2 choices are Dorian Gray (SW7017) and Dovetail (SW7018).  You can get a sample of Repose Gray here and have it sent to your door.  And, if you’d like to do an accent wall, you can get the accent colors here and here.

 

If you want to go even darker, check out Gauntlet Gray (SW7019) or even Black Fox (SW7020)  You can see all of the color hues on this swatch.

 

 

 

WAIT! Need help keeping track of your stain and paint colors? This tracker makes it easy! GET YOUR PRINTABLE PAINT AND FLOOR TRACKER HERE! 

 

 

Repose Gray undertones

Repose Gray is a mix of gray and beige, but it also has some brown and slight purple undertones.  The purple undertones are very subtle (and yes, there are some grays with obvious purple undertones).  On Repose Gray, these are barely noticeable, and in fact if I hadn’t mentioned it you probably wouldn’t even notice them.

 

These undertones are what allows Repose Gray to work with so many colors in your room.

 

The purple undertones sometimes show up in certain lights, especially low light situations.  For reason, Repose Gray works especially well in south and western exposure rooms and not as well in north facing rooms (and to some extent east facing rooms.

 

That’s because the earlier rays from the sun add a bit of gray and blues, so you end up noticing the subtle purple undertones and sometimes blue undertones.  If you are concerned about this, consider Agreeable Gray for these rooms.  Agreeable Gray is similar but slightly warmer (and may actually look like Repose Gray in these rooms).

 

The LRV (Light Reflective Value) is 58 meaning that it adds some life to a room with the light it reflects back, and it’s one of the lighter gray/greiges. It’s light enough so it doesn’t take over the room.

 

Would you like to see this color in your own room? If so, you can get a sample of Repose Gray here.  And, you can find a sample of Agreeable Gray here.

 

To learn more about the undertones for Repose Gray and why it’s such a wonderful color, watch this awesome video from Jacob Owens.  He tells it and shows it much better than I can.

 

 

Did you find my tips helpful? If so, feel free to buy me a coffee and support my blog.

 

Which contrasting colors work best with Repose Gray?

Repose Gray is a super neutral color that can be used around the home, especially in the common areas of the home (e.g. Living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, entryway, hallways, etc.)  But sometimes you want to mix things up for the bedrooms or bathrooms or other areas.

 

 

My top 2 choices for contrasting colors are 1) Sea Salt SW 6204 (a dusty green) and 2) Upward SW 6239 (dusty blue). These two colors in particular work well because they are light and have gray undertones.  You can get the samples of those here and here.  And, there are many other shades that share similar characteristics (See 21 Blue Gray Paint Shades).

 

  

 

In addition to these colors, I have found that Repose Gray works well with whites, navy, most blues, some soft greens (e.g. Rainwashed, Sea Salt), many aquas an even pinks.  It’s a very versatile color.

 

It doesn’t go so well with most bright and saturated colors (e.g. bright reds, bright oranges, bright yellows, bright greens), but these are rarely used in residential homes.  It does, on the other hand, work with saturated navy, blue and even blacks.

Repose Gray goes with most hardwood floors

Repose Gray is one of those rare paint shads that works with most hardwood flooring shades. It works incredibly well with dark hardwood floors, most light floors, and it even goes well with cherry colored hardwoods (although I think Agreeable Gray goes slightly better with woods that have red undertones as it’s slightly warmer.

 

If you have gray hardwood floors or gray tile planks, I would avoid this color as it will make your room too monochromatic (and decrease the impact of your beautiful floor) and there’s a goo chance the colors will clash (especially with hardwood as it’s a natural product and therefore has lots of color variation). I’d be more inclined to use a white or pale blue with this.

 

While Repose Gray is not the best choice for gray floors, it can work well with whitewashed wood or tile planks that look like hardwood.

 

Repose Gray paint color by room

Repose Gray Paint in living room

Repose Gray Paint in bedrooms

 

Repose Gray Paint in kitchen

 

Repose Gray Paint in dining room

Repose Gray Paint in bathroom

Repose Gray Paint in home office

Repose Gray vs Agreeable Gray

First, let me say that I love Agreeable  Gray, and it’s a great option if you’re looking for a greige or warm gray. Repose Gray is a bit more gray than Agreeable Gray. So it’s cooler, but still on the warm gray side. Repose Gray is a tad darker than Agreeable Gray, but the difference is barely perceptible (58 LRV for Repose vs 60 for Agreeable).

 

I find that in some homes Agreeable Gray works much better and it other homes, Repose Gray looks better.  Sometimes this is influenced by lighting and stonework (e.g. fireplaces, tiles, counter tops); other times it’s the furniture.

I encourage homeowners to consider both colors and try them both out in their homes.  Get swatches and buy samples and test it out to confirm.

 

 

  And, this Painting and Flooring Planner will organize your paint shades, finishes and flooring choices by room.

 

 

Revere Pewter vs Repose Gray

 

   

 

Revere Pewter is much warmer and almost looks like a tan/beige combo compared to greiges and even moreso when compared to grays. The color difference is quite striking when you compare them side by side. It also seems to come out much darker on the walls than you would expect. Some customers even call it a muddy color.

 

Revere Pewter used to be a favorite among Home Stagers and Realtors.  That was 10 years ago.  Now, it really looks dated.  And, you’ll see that Repose Gray tends to go with many more colors in your home.

 

If you have warm colors in the room (e.g. reds, oranges, yellow, light oak furniture/floors), Revere Pewter can bring out the green undertones in this paint shade. The color seems to shift based on lighting and furniture and what’s shining through the windows.

 

Repose Gray is much more neutral and fashion forward, so I would recommend that over Revere Pewter 9 times out of 10. It seems to be much more versatile vs. Revere Pewter. It has a lighter and more crisp look.

 

You can see a sample or Revere Pewter here.

 

Silverpointe vs Repose Gray

Silverpointe is another warm gray that I love. Slightly warm might be a better classification, but you get the idea.  Compared to Repose Gray, Silverpointe is lighter (the light reflective value is 64 compared to just a 58 with Repose Gray  Silverpoint is more gray (and has some green undertones) and Repose Gray is more beige and warmer.

 

 

Get a sample of Silverpointe sample here.

Repose Gray vs Passive

Passive Gray is significantly cooler than Repose Gray. it’s also slightly lighter (Light Reflective Value of 60 vs 58).

  

 

Would you like to see Passive in your own room? If so, you can get a sample here.
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DIY Painting Tips

I wanted to share a VERY helpful video from Sherwin Williams, with some quick and super useful DIY painting tips. It’s just 2 minutes and covers types of brushes and painting techniques. Also, towards the end of this article, I share the painting tools and accessories that we use (with links to buy them on Amazon).

Sherwin Williams and Pottery Barn Painting tips for DIY homeowners

 

What are some other warm grays?

Warm grays have been growing in popularity. Here are some great alternative warm grays:

• Agreeable Gray
• Silverpointe
• Worldly Gray
• Colonade Gray
• Mindful Gray
• Dorian Gray
• Useful Gray

 

You can read more about my favorite warm gray paint shades in this article: 9 Amazing Greiges and Warm Grays.

 

Paint Samples

Now, let’s talk about samples…

It’s always best to test the paint colors in you own home and own lighting. The colors do look different pending your lighting and can even look different room to room.

 

You can definitely go to your local painting store to buy some samples (and a brush…be sure to paint with 2 coats), but I have a MUCH EASIER way for you. Check out SAMPLIZE.

 

Samplize offers 12” x 12” peel and stick paint samples that are EASIER, AFFORDABLE and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY.

 

Here are a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients:

• Samples come right to YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, pending on location
• At $5.95, they’re more affordable than the samples/brushes/foam boards than traditional samples…and of course easier and way less messy
• If you keep the samples on the white paper, you can move them from wall to wall and room to room

 

They are amazingly accurate as they are made with 2 coats of real paint, so they are color correct.

 

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE.

 

Which rooms look best with Repose Gray?

Repose Gray is both neutral and versatile so it can work in virtually every room including living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, family rooms, bedrooms, offices and even bathrooms.  It tends to work better in southern and western facing rooms.  In north facing rooms, it can sometimes look a tad purple or reflect some blue tones, especially in the morning.

 

It also tends to work with most shades of hardwood and both warm and cool tone furniture and area rugs.  It’s super versatile to it’s easy to decorate with Repose Gray.  It’s also a great color choice for kitchen cabinets.

 

WAIT! Need help keeping track of your paint colors and sheens This tracker makes it easy! GET YOUR PAINT TRACKER HERE!

 

Final thoughts on Repose Gray

 

Repose Gray is a super neutral paint color that tends to go with almost everything. The combo of gray and beige blend together for the perfect light greige. This color is versatile and tends to work in almost every room of the home.

 

It’s a great option whether you’re you’re just moving into a new home or looking to remodel and update your existing home. Repose Gray is also a great paint selection if you’re planning to sell your home as it appeals to most buyers.

 

Do you need any paint shade fan decks?

Amazon can help with that. It’s so much easier when you have the full color wheels and can see all of these in your own home (vs. going back and forth to the store MULTIPLE times).

Sherwin Williams Benjamin Moore

 

DIY Painting Tools

Here are some painting tools that may come in handy if you’re going to do the painting yourself. Also, be sure to check out my article on the Top 10 DIY Painting mistakes and how to avoid them. The products below can be found on Amazon and delivered straight to your door.

• Painting brush – this one costs a bit more, but it’s totally worth it. It will help you paint faster and more accurately. If you’re going to paint yourself, don’t skimp here. Incidentally, this is Amazon’s Choice as well.
• Painter’s tape – a must have. Use for all the trim as well as ceiling area
• Paint roller kit – this includes a tray. Use the brush for the edges and the roller for main areas of the wall (and ceiling).
• Drop cloths – Yes, you’ll need them for sure. Some people have some on hand, but often not enough if you are doing many rooms.

 

Related gray and neutral paint color articles:

• 9 Amazing Warm Gray and Greige Paint Colors
• 11 Awesome Cool Gray Paint Shades
• 15 Stylish Neutral Paint Colors that work in Almost Every Room
• Most Popular Shades of Gray and Coordinating Accent Walls

Get The Printable PDF

I have everything that you need is here in this article. But it is a long read. If it’s more convenient, you can purchase the PDF file for only $5. It has the full article (including pictures). This way you can print it out and will be available for you to refer to anytime you want. (Click on the book below to purchase)

I would love to give it to you for free, but it cost money to have an online store and it’s expensive to maintain a blog. I would love your support so I can continue to help those who need it. You can purchase it here.

 

Repose Gray from Sherwin Williams (SW7015) – A versatile greige