Worldly Gray looks violet/blue, so does ever other gray ugh

10 years ago

Hey there,

I'm having trouble finding a gray that won't look blue in my room. I have warm red oak floors and i live in Seattle where the natural light can be very blue especially near my northeast Windows. I changed bulbs to a warm daylight (I think 4000 led). I'm trying to find a very light gray for my small townhouse and so far no luck at sherwin Williams. I'm thinking of trying BM stonington gray but some reviews also say it looks blue. Should I just mix black and white to get a true gray or do any of you have experience getting a true gray look in a room that keeps turning every gray blue?

P.s. I know there's tons of old posts like this and blogs and articles but I've read a lot of them and I'm still at a loss. Thank you!

Featured Answer

Laura

10 years ago

Gray Owl is a nice shade, The Lettered Cottage has used it several times at full strength and lightened by 50%. Here is a comparison of the two.

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Comments (9)

vbsp1kr
10 years ago
I had the same issue with my 75 swatches of gray on the wall. We had a lot of luck with SW Light French Gray. It is a true gray and didn't turn purple or blue on our walls at all. You can get it mixed lighter if you'd like. Highly recommend!

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW0055-light-french-gray/#/0055/?s=coordinatingColors&p=PS0
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acm
10 years ago
yes, you want to head for grays with a certain yellow or green undertone, which should balance out your light and reflection issues better.
Nor
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks Laura, I tried gray owl at full strength and it also looked blue most of the time. I should've mentioned that in OP. Other than worldly gray and gray owl, I also tried Repose gray and agreeable gray. Everything looked violet or blue most of the day. Argh
Nor
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks VB! I thought light French gray looked too dark but true I could try a lighter mix of it. Thanks!
D V
9 years ago
I agonized over choosing a warm gray color. I have honey oak hardwood, light maple cabinets and 2 area rugs: soft green and a light henna color. I knew I couldn't go too cool. I met with a Sherwin Williams color specialist, who actually comes out to the house and recommends colors. We decided the worldly was the best choice between that, repose and Benjamin moore revere pewter. I painted the board and taped it up in every room, daytime and evening. Loved it. Painter came yesterday, I came home and it really looked lavender! I told my painter that if the other 2 rooms and he detected a hint of purple to please stop. He called and said it looked more purple in those rooms. He went to Sherwin Williams and the manager added green. Fingers crossed I'll like it when I get home. Everyone's home pulls different colors. Grays are tough. Wishing I went with the revere pewter.
Jen Vassiliades
8 years ago
Sorry I realize this is an old post but just stumbled on it. What ended up happening? I have nearly sent myself into a mental breakdown trying to find the right gray/brown. I was going to go with worldly gray but now I'm nervous! Revere Pewter looks SUPER brown in most areas I've tried so I decided to go with WG. Did yours end up working out with added green?
K Laurence
8 years ago
Everything turned violet in my house & I live on the coast in sunny So California with TONS of windows. The only one that turned out right ( for me anyway ) was SW Urban Putty, but may not be gray enough for you , idk. Grays are very difficult.
D V
8 years ago
The worldly looked lavender with the existing trim, which was a cream color. Once I switched that to extra white, it got rid of that cast. I have a love hate relationship with WG. Lol. Love it during the day, don’t like it in the evening. In my home it looks dull with a slight green undertone during the evening. Perhaps when I replace my maple
Kitchen cabinets with white, I’ll like it more. But I will likely repaint a different color when I get to that point. I agree , grays are really tricky. Lol. Good luck!