Sherwin Williams Anew Gray: Undertones, LRV, & Best Uses
By Kylie
August 7, 2024
Sherwin Williams Anew Gray is a light-medium, warm greige-taupe paint color. It works well on interior walls, kitchen cabinets, and accent walls, as well as exteriors.
Anew Gray’s flexible undertones can affect how it looks with wood stains, tile, and other interior finishes.
But whether it’s the best neutral for your home is still up for grabs, as you’ve got more research to do. Good thing you’re here! With over 600+ quality blog posts, if it’s a popular color, I’ve got it covered. And as far as Anew Gray goes, it’s near the top of the heap for the average home, which is why we’re taking a closer look via its very own color review!
WHAT TYPE OF COLOR IS ANEW GRAY? IS IT WARM OR COOL?
Anew Gray is a warm, greige-taupe paint color. What does this mean?
Well, Anew Gray is a pretty uncommitted neutral paint color, stuck between greige and taupe. When it comes to undertones (which we’ll get to shortly), Anew Gray doesn’t wink hard at any. Instead, it casts sideways glances with a ‘come hither’ wink. However, it rarely gets any action.
As for temperature, Anew Gray is a warm paint color. Is it TRADITIONALLY warm? Heck no. In fact, it can look cold compared to warm colors like beige, tan, or cream. But just because it looks cooler than those shades doesn’t mean it’s cold—it’s subtly warm at heart. This said, if we dabble in a color any cooler than Anew Gray, we enter the ‘warm gray range‘.
If you have a room with north-facing, morning western or afternoon eastern light, Anew Gray might lean more into its gray base. However, if you have south-facing or afternoon western light, Anew Gray will look like the perfect, stone-inspired, soft greige-taupe paint color.
North, East, South, West: Which Paint Color is the Best?
WHAT’S THE LRV OF ANEW GRAY?
Anew Gray has an LRV of 47, putting it in the light-medium range. It’s not as light as most people would put in the average room (read more on that HERE), but it’s not heavy or overwhelming by any stretch.
Now, being a warm neutral with a slightly lower LRV, Anew Gray can look a touch drab or dingy in a darker or low-light space. If you don’t have good natural lighting, substitute with good interior lighting – please!
On the other end of the spectrum, if you have a bright room, Anew Gray holds itself reasonably well, thanks to its LRV. Whereas off-white and light-depth taupe-greiges can wash out in a lot of natural light, Anew Gray will look lighter but will stand up better.
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
Thank you to all of my Online Paint Color Consulting clients, readers, and friends for sending in their photos—you make my colorful little world go round!
Anew Gray’s subtle warmth works well for a north-facing room if you like gray paint colors but find them a bit chilly-looking. It can also be a nice balance to a south-facing room with a lot of golden sunshine.
Why?
Anew Gray’s strong gray base will calm warm golden sunshine without parking you in the gray world (in fact, it will lean a bit warm itself!)
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
WHAT ARE ANEW GRAY’S UNDERTONES?
The moment we’ve all been waiting for! Or maybe it’s just me. Regardless, Anew Gray is one of my favorite neutral paint colors for a reason – its undertones, or lack of them. I mean, it has undertones, every color does, but Anew Gray stays pretty darned neutral-looking.
When Anew Gray does grab an undertones, it tends to be purple or green. This said, it’s so subtle it’s barely worth mentioning; it’s just something to watch for when comparing it to similar shades.
Sampling paint just got a whole lot easier…
Here’s your Samplize Peel & Stick sample of Anew Gray
WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE TRIM OR CABINET COLOR WITH ANEW GRAY?
Anew Gray is pretty flexible and can suit various whites via its color and depth. If you already have a white, Anew Gray could work as long as your trim isn’t too yellow or creamy.
If you’re starting from scratch with your palette, here are a few of my favorites…
- Sherwin Williams Pure White (amazeballs)
- Sherwin Williams Extra White
- Benjamin Moore White Dove
- Sherwin Williams White Snow
SHOULD I Paint My Wood Cabinets White? A QUESTIONNAIRE
The 4 Best White Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams
IS ANEW GRAY A GOOD EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR?
You bet your cute little booty it is! I can’t guarantee it will work for YOU in particular, but Anew Gray suits many types of brick and stone and different exposures. Just remember, exterior colors can look WAY DIFFERENT than interior (warmer and lighter)—read these tips before diving in!
In this next photo, notice how Anew Gray changes from the shaded area to the one with direct sun…
IS ANEW GRAY A GOOD CABINET COLOR?
I am obsessed with the idea of Anew Gray on kitchen cabinets and am impatiently waiting for one of my Online Paint Color clients to use it and send me photos!
Anew Gray is an awesome choice for cabinets, islands, or bathroom vanities. With its increased depth, choosing a wall paint color will be a bit easier than the off-white and light greige-taupe world – just note that I said easier, not easy.
IS ANEW GRAY A POPULAR PAINT COLOR?
No, but it’s right up there. The lighter version, Agreeable Gray, is more popular due to its depth, as is the lighter and warmer Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray, a long-time fave of mine!
Anew Gray with the brick fireplace, SW Dovetail in the entryway
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO ANEW GRAY?
I’m glad you asked, as it’s important to sample and compare similar shades before slapping paint on your walls.
- Benjamin Moore Himalayan Trek
- Benjamin Moore Plymouth Rock
- Sherwin Williams Versatile Gray offers a bit more commitment to taupe
- Sherwin Williams Amazing Gray is amazing if you need a wink o’ green undertone
WHAT COLORS GO WITH ANEW GRAY?
Oh, Anew Gray is one of my favorites when creating a color palette. Let’s see what I’ve got up my colorful little sleeves…
- light-medium grays with a soft stormy blue or blue-green undertone
- lighter neutrals like Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray and Accessible Beige
- muted, darker shades of green are stunning with Anew Gray
- I also love greiges with Anew Gray, especially those that are medium-depth or darker
- Anew Gray loves a range of darker gray-blues
ARE THERE ANY COLORS THAT DON’T GO WITH ANEW GRAY?
While Anew Gray is reasonably easy to please, it does have its limits, and here are a few of them…
- Anew Gray doesn’t always love to be partnered with a color that’s lighter and COOLER than itself.
- It doesn’t love to be partnered with overly cold, icy, crisp colors.
- Anew Gray favors colors that are reasonably dirty and muddy – not clean.
- I’d stay away from overly creamy hues.
READ MORE
The Best Stone-Inspired Beige, Greige, & Taupe Paint Colors
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray
The 12 Best Whole Home Gray and Greige Paint Colors
The 4 Best Warm Gray Paint Colors
NEED HELP?
Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2020, UPDATED IN 2024
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Homeowner’s Guide: White Kitchen Cabinets
This isn’t another ’10 Best Cabinet Colors’ list, because there is no SINGLE best white for every home and every kitchen.
Learn how to choose a white cabinet paint color that works with your countertops, backsplash, flooring, trim, lighting, and home—so you can rule out the wrong whites, sample fewer colors, and choose with confidence.
158-page PDF – Instant Download
$ 34.95Accent Colors – And How to Use Them
This isn’t about plastering your home in the ‘Color of the Year’ or following the latest trends (unless you really want to).
It’s about finding accent colors that work with YOUR home, YOUR style, and YOUR comfort level.
Because the best accent color isn’t one you love on a paint chip, it’s one that makes everything around it look better.
118-Page PDF – Instant Download
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Homeowner’s Guide: Exterior Paint Colors
Painting your home’s exterior is a BIG investment and choosing a color based on a tiny paint chip, a trend or the house down the street can be an expensive mistake.
Learn how to look at YOUR roof, YOUR windows, YOUR brick (or stone) and YOUR home as a whole so you can understand what colors make sense.
The goal? Less guessing, fewer samples and a lot more confidence before gallons of paint go on your home.
206-page PDF – Digital Download
$ 44.95Exterior Trim Paint Colors
This isn’t a list of ‘the best trim colors’, although you’ll get a ton of links to great shades!
You’ll learn how to look at your home and understand whether it needs contrast, repetition, connection, or a little visual peacekeeping to pull it all together.
Because trim might seem like a small detail…but spread it around all four sides of your home on multiple surfaces and it suddenly has a pretty big job.
118-page PDF – Instant Download
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Comments
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I used SW Anew Gray on exterior shutters with BM White Dove on exterior walls & trim. Beautiful! Could not be happier. My painter decided to mix Anew Gray in BM
base in my kitchen. Not happy! It may look okay ( it does)
but it is a very different color than outside. I reluctantly agreed to keep it (wanted the kitchen back) but now plan to repaint the kitchen this year. Outside Anew Gray is a soft taupe beige – inside is a moody gray. Just sayin’. -
Lovely review! Would Anew Gray pair well with Greek Villa trim and cabinets?
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will Anew Gray pare with Slate Tile kitchen island with Pure White cabinets and trim ?
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You bet!
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Would anew gray cabinets with plenty of sunshine look good with gossamer veil walls with pure white trim??
Thanks!-
Nope! The green in Gossamer Veil won’t be happy with Anew Gray 🙂
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I have classic gray on the walls in a bathroom located in the center of my house, no windows. It looks pretty white. I want to paint the cabinets and was deciding between anew gray or amazing gray, which would work best?
Thank you!-
Hey Alicia, with Classic Gray I do PREFER Anew Gray over Amazing Gray, but it can depend on the countertop/tiles!
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It says not to pair it with a lighter grey but can anew grey on the island be paired with city loft or classic grey on the walls?
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Uuuusually – City Loft and Classic Gray are warm grays that are TRYING to be taupe, so they can often slide in there 😉
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We will have white vinyl windows. Would Anew Gray look better with Pure White trim on the exterior with white vynal windows or do I have the exterior white trim color matched to our white windows? Help
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Hi Holly! It’s hard to say as different brands of windows have different whites. Pure White WILL look warmer than most white windows – some people don’t mind that !
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Thank you! I have noticed SW Pure White looking white but with a little bit of a gray undertone around white exterior windows. My builder has color matched the white windows into a white trim paint through SW for other customers. Do you think that would look best with SW Anew Gray?
We will have a black roof, black garage doors and a black front door in SW Tricorn Black. I appreciate your input as I am done with feeling like I may screw my exterior up so thank you!!
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Anew gray runs through our open concept ranch. I’m looking to do a darker themed accent wall that our TV and fireplace are on. Would SW Iron Ore or BM Wrought Iron pair well with Anew Gray?
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Oooo, heck yes! Both are lovely. I also love BM Cheating Heart.
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Thank you. I probably should have added it’s a north facing room. I had the anew gray lightened by 20% because of this, I didn’t want it appearing too “muddy” looking due to lack of light, so far it’s been great. Does this change your opinion about the Iron Ore or Wrought Iron use?
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If it’s a north-facing room with a GOOD AMOUNT of light, should be good. But if it’s dark and north-facing, they could look more blackish than not. I have Wrought Iron in my primary bedroom on an accent wall. Our room is north-facing and dark. While I KNOW it’s got a great blue hue, most people see it as a soft black (I mean, not like a lot of people are in my bedroom, but you know what I’m sayin’).
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I like Peppercorn on my tv wall would anew gray work on the other walls?
I have an open home with a light gray sofa. Thanks-
It sure could, as long as Anew Gray isn’t too warm for your sofa, as Anew Gray is more of a greige-taupe 🙂
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Thank you
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I am doing anew gray for my kitchen cabinets. Do you have any suggestions for countertops. I haven’t decided between quartz or marble, but what color profile should I be looking for? Also, what hardware finishes look good? I don’t like the gold look that seems to be in style at the moment and hate black. I’m leaning towards German bronze, but would love your thoughts. Thanks!
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Im doing my kitchen cabinets in Anew Gray, i was thinking about doing the walls in white and the island everfog. Would that look ok?
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Sounds lovely to me!
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Your blog and videos are so helpful ! Does Anew Gray work with honey oak cabinets and flooring ? I watched your YouTube videos about paint that goes with oak cabinets, but they were all lighter colors.
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We are doing greek villa walls and I wanted a subtle warm accent wall against it. Would anew gray pair well with greek villa? If not, any other neutrals you suggest with greek villa?
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Hi! Question about exterior, sunny entry way/lanai plant colors with an Anew Grey as the exterior wall color? Reds/yellows or blues/greens?
Thank you-
Oooo, it can depend on the other landscaping or any stone/patio work, but my HEART says blues and violets could be lovely, with a splash of red for fun!
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What are your thoughts about Anew Gray? Background: I’m considering painting red-ish brick, possibly with Anew Gray. Would like the paint color to work with very light gray siding (not much siding and only in rear of house) AND the lovely stone chimney/feature wall (beiges and grays in stone) in the front of the house. I keep hearing that gray is on its way ‘out’ and will make a house look dated which concerns me because the goal is to perk up the exterior, not leave it looking dated!
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Hey Ann! As far as gray goes, it will last WAY longer on an exterior if it SUITS the exterior. Now I can’t say for sure that it will look good with light gray siding, as the light gray I’ve seen is more likely to have a blue undertone…
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Hi Kylie!
I’m considering Egret White as my whole house color with Pure White cabinets in the kitchen. I have two front rooms (south facing) that I’d like to paint a different shade and was considering Anew Gray or Worldly Gray, would either of these go with the Egret White?-
Hey Jenifer! Of the two, I personally favor Anew Gray – it has that bit more contrast and the undertones settle a bit better with Egret White 🙂
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Hi Kylie!
We recently painted our exterior with Anew Gray. The siding is Keystone Gray and we have a charcoal colored roof. The trim is Alabaster. The front door and shutter is Iron Ore. My question is what hardscape colors look good with this? Our house is west facing. We were looking at paving stones. I was afraid of pairing too much gray. We were considering putting a paving stone driveway with it, but I am struggling to pick the right stone color.Thank you,
Kellie
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Thank you for this info. It’s very helpful. On a side note, do you happen to know the color/brand of the stone around the fireplace in the first picture?
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You’re welcome, but I’m sorry, I don’t!
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Hi there! can I pair Anew Gray exterior walls with Egret White??
East West facing
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