Sherwin Williams Passive: LRV, Undertones and a Little More

I always say you should never judge a color by its name, however, when it comes to Sherwin Williams Passive, the name says it all! Why? Let’s find out!

I love to show RELATEABLE & REAL homes, so ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. This means I don’t always have the quality pics I need (hence the ‘QUICK Review’), but DEFINITELY have some SUPER helpful info to help you on your way!

What type of paint color is Sherwin Williams Passive? Is it warm or cool?

Passive is a gray paint color with STORMY COOL undertones. This means it’s not a crisp and icy gray paint color – nor is it fresh, but rather a more ‘moody’ looking gray.

That being said, put Passive in a room with north-facing exposure and it could look QUITE icy, especially if you have quite a bit of natural light. On the other hand, with its cool approach, Passive can be a GREAT way to balance out the warm sun rays in a south-facing room or one with western afternoon sunshine.

What’s the LRV of Passive?

Passive has an LRV of 60, which puts it in the LIGHT range, however, it’s on the sliiiightly darker end of the light scale. With this depth, you may find it holds itself a bit better in a room with TONS of natural light, whereas a lighter or off-white paint color could wash out. But, if you have a dark room, be careful as Passive could feel QUITE dull and flat and you’ll need GOOD interior lighting to bring it to life.

Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.

What are the undertones of Passive? Will it look a true neutral gray?

Welllll, on a good day in the right light, Passive COULD look like a true neutral gray, however, Passive has some seriously PASSIVE undertones to consider!

Every gray will have blue, green or purple undertones – often a blend. Passive is one of the MORE VERSATILE gray paint colors as it can pick up ANY of the cool undertones, without having 100% allegiance to one in particular. If you go down one notch, you’ll see Sherwin Williams Argos, which is a light-medium gray with a stormy blue-green undertone. There are times that Passive will give you those same undertones, but unlike Argos, Passive can lean a weeee wink into purple in the right conditions (just a wink).

What’s the best way to sample Passive?

Like with every paint color, I highly recommend using SAMPLIZE. Samplize is a peel & stick paint sample that you can easily move around your room for over HALF THE COST of traditional sample pots – and they deliver right to your front door!

Learn all about Samplize HERE

If I’m painting my walls Passive, what’s the best white paint color for my trim?

Oooo, if I’m going for Passive on my walls, I’m probably going to hit my trim, ceilings and doors with…

Sherwin Williams High Reflective White for a cleaner contrasting look
Sherwin Williams Pure White for a contrasting, but slightly softer approach

Is Passive a good color for the exterior of my home?

I don’t refer to Passive much in my E-Design only because its undertones can be a bit unpredictable. Passive also has a wink too much undertone to work with many of the common stones and bricks, although it can work well with some of the gray-toned asphalt roofs.

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Is Passive a popular paint color right now?

When it comes to popularity, Passive is in the middle of the pack – not one of the TOP gray paint colors, but not a total due either. If it were a bit lighter, I bet it would be in the running.

What Benjamin Moore paint colors are the same as or similar to Passive?

GOOD QUESTION! Every color has its own particular nuances and there will be NO perfect match – you WILL see shifts in undertones, temperature and depths, but you could check out…

Benjamin Moore Sterling
Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray

And if you’re thinking of color matching between brands (ie: getting BM to make an SW paint color), you might want to read THIS first.

What type of paint colors look good with Passive?

Passive is a BIT finicky, but it does have some options, such as…

Some grays that are a similar depth or slightly darker with slightly more committed green or green-blue undertones
Some gray-blue blends
Subtle light greige tones
Some muted neutral off-whites

Not sure if Passive is right for you? Want a bit warmer or cooler? I’ve got more!

SHERWIN WILLIAMS ON THE ROCKS

SHERWIN WILLIAMS BIG CHILL

Not sure which paint color is best for YOUR home?

Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!

KYLIE M INTERIORS E-DESIGN AND ONLINE VIRTUAL PAINT COLOR EXPERT, SPECIALIZING IN BENJAMIN MOORE AND SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT COLORS DIY DECORATING AND DESIGN ADVICE BLOGGER

Erin Ferragut
November 2, 2022 at 5:08 pm

Im loving your blog! I’m rapidly becoming addicted to all of the ins and outs of color. What wall color would you recommend if I’m using On the Rocks as my cabinet color? My countertop is Azul Celeste, and has a lot of blue grays in it. I was looking at Passive, but the LRVs are almost identical. I’m making myself crazy trying coordinate my grays. (Reaching for my margarita and taking a big swig. 😉 ) I have southern light, but a big deck overhang, so not as much light as you might expect.

1. Post
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  KylieMawdsley
  November 5, 2022 at 9:52 am
  
  Well, Erin, with On the Rocks cabinets you’ll have a heck of a time unless you head into the VERY SOLID light-medium depths OR white!