Sherwin Williams Rainwashed: Undertones, LRV, & Real-Home Results
By Kylie
October 3, 2024
Sherwin Williams Rainwashed is a light, cool, blue-green with a gray base. It works well on interior walls, especially bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as accent walls.
Undertones, LRV, and overall temperature all play a role in how Rainwashed looks, particularly in different lighting conditions and exposures.
When it comes to paint colors (not neutrals), no blend is more popular than blue-green. This makes Rainwashed a great color to start your journey with. So, let’s check out its review…
WHAT TYPE OF COLOR IS RAINWASHED? BLUE OR GREEN?
If you love blue-green blends, you’re in the right place, as Rainwashed has that category covered. While it does have some gray in it, the gray takes a step back, leaving more blue and green on your walls, which means it’s a COOL paint color (figuratively and literally).
Its color palette changes from room to room. In a room with southern light, Rainwashed might pick up a touch more green. However, there are many rooms where it’ll lean more blue.
And then there’s perception.
Whether it’s a blue with green in it or a green with some blue is open to personal opinion. I could tell you it slightly favors green, but I’ll find 50% of Rainwashed lovers who disagree with me!
The unique blend of undertones in Rainwashed (which we’ll get into shortly) makes it great for a north-facing or east-facing room in the afternoon. Because these rooms have a cool or flat exposure, they don’t always do well painted in cold paint colors. However, Rainwashed has enough color and the right blend to fit in quite nicely without looking icy cold (and is also great for south or west-facing rooms).
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
WHAT’S RAINWASHED’S LRV?
With an LRV of 59, Rainwashed is a light-depth paint color, but it’s not on the high end of the light range as it has more depth. This means that if have a super bright room, it can hold its color a bit better, whereas a light/off-white color could wash out a lot more. If you have a dark room, it can also look pretty as the color is stronger than gray (some gray-blue-greens can fall flat and dingy in a dark room).
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Rainwashed…
WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE TRIM COLOR WITH RAINWASHED?
Rainwashed is reasonably flexible regarding its white partners…
- Sherwin Williams High Reflective White
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
- Sherwin Williams Pure White
- Benjamin Moore White Dove
The 4 Best White Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams
IS RAINWASHED A GOOD EXTERIOR COLOR?
I won’t say it isn’t good, but it’s not a POPULAR choice. Most of my Online Paint Color Consulting clients want more gray or depth regarding this type of color. It’s pretty with white trim, but it’s not for every home (or many homes). I can see it looking cute as a button on a cottage or coastal/beachy home!
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO RAINWASHED?
There’s no shortage of colors to compare with Rainwashed, so I’ve narrowed it down to the top shades to sample and compare.
- Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue (very similar)
- Benjamin Moore Bali
- Sherwin Williams Quietude is great for a bit more depth
- If Rainwashed turns out a bit more colorful than you want, check out Sherwin Williams Sea Salt (shown below)
- Even better, check out these colors in my CURATED BLUE-GREEN COLOR BUNDLE – save time and money.
The Best Paint Colors with Dark Wood
WHAT COLORS GO WITH RAINWASHED?
When coordinating colors in a palette with Rainwashed, here are a few of the color families I might explore…
- There are SO many off-white, warm gray, and taupe paint colors like Benjamin Moore Pale Oak, Classic Gray, and Sherwin Williams Egret White
- Some greige paint colors like Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray
- A whole range of off-white paint colors
- Cream paint colors that have a wink more color to them
- More modern shades of beige and tan – nothing too rich or dense.
READ MORE
The Best Blue & Green Paint Colors for Bedrooms
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Tradewind
The Best Blue-Green Blend Paint Colors
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Sea Salt
NEED HELP?
Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2020, UPDATED FOR YOU 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
$24.95
Comments
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I am looking for a color for my entire home… wondering under what circumstances you would choose rainwashed? We have a very open floor plan with high ceilings.
Love all of your articles!!!!
Patti-
Hi Patti, I LOVE Rainwashed, but I’d hesitate to do a WHOLE HOME. I would ABSOLUTELY do a living room, kitchen, dining room, bedroom – even two of those…but I wouldn’t do a whole home. Colour can be a bit overwhelming on the large scale, but that’s for ME, if you love colour and want to live IN it, that’s cool! However, my MAIN concern is that Rainwashed will limit you with future choices of furniture/decor/hard finishes/etc… only because it’s a colour and colours aren’t as versatile as neutrals.
Cool beans? -
I love the color just from the name alone. I’m going for a spa feel in my bathroom. White soaker tub, white floating vanity and I have a steam shower unit with satin metal trim and blue tinted glass. There is no natural light in this room but plenty of recessed and vanity light of course. I’d love to use it on ceiling as well, perhaps at 50% less?
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I absolutely love your work, videos, articles, etc. I have learned sooooo much from you! I am considering Rainwashed for exterior. I know you said it’s not for most people for exterior and it would look cute on a cottage. I wonder what you would think of doing this on a stucco home in Florida. We want that coastal home feel that many homes that have color on the exteriors have, but don’t want it to come out too bright and overwhelming. I’m really hoping the gray in this would calm it down enough to work. I’ve tried less colorful colors like Sea Salt but it goes so much more washed out in the Florida sun. Sea Salt almost looks beige in the light and is only a hint of blue-green (green-blue?) in the shade. If not Rainwashed, I would love to know what blue-green you would recommend for exterior to achieve coastal without going too bright or Easter egg.
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Really enjoy your insight. We have just painted our kitchen in Rainwashed and love it. Now we want to paint our finished basement and have steps to it off the kitchen. Thinking an off white or cream color with a brighter white trim. The carpet is similar to PPG Cress Green. It’s in great condition so we don’t want to change the carpet. Thoughts? We want it to coordinate with the kitchen but there is a door. Thanks in advance!
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Hey Barb, I’d have to see the carpet to really KNOW, as online images from manufacturers are the WORST. Off the top, I do love SW Creamy with SW Extra White trim!
If you decide you want some more specific help, where I have you fill out a questionnaire/send photos, I do have a great Online Paint Color Consulting program! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/hire-kylie/
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Hi Kylie! Thanks so much for your insight. I am trying to find the right color to match my honey oak cabinets and black countertops. I am debating between SW Sea Salt and Rainwashed, what do you think? (Natural linen is going to be my whole home color)
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Hey Ashley, I would leeean into Sea Salt over Rainwashed – it’s a nicer partner to Natural LInen
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I’m thinking of doing my north facing half bathroom this color. I have natural hickory cabinets with bronze, starfish pulls. I’m unsure what a good color would be for the ceiling though. Any suggestions?
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Hey! If the ceiling is flat, you COULD do it Rainwashed. Otherwise, if you have white trim, you’d want the ceiling and trim to be the same – SW Pure White can be nice!
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I have black stained floors in a westfacing room. I wanted to try debonair or niebla azul, yet doing further reserach I’m thinking about rainwashed. What do you think?
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Well, it could depend on if the black has an undertone (sometimes violet). If it does, I would LEAN into a blue-violet over a blue-green like Rainwashed 🙂
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How would you say Sherwin Williams Copen Blue compares to Rainwashed? (I picked up a swatch of each and am having trouble telling them apart – they are so similar!) Is one more likely to lean into blue (or green) than the other?
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I have a primarily north/east facing bedroom/lots of natural light (dark wood floors) that I am thinking of painting SW Rainwashed. I have a gray fabric headboard on my bed, will this work ok up against the Rainwashed paint?
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It certainly could! It depends on how light/dark the gray headboard is and what undertones it has, but off the top it sounds like it ‘could’ work!
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Hi Kylie!
I discovered you after my friends told me I needed a paint/color intervention. I am an artist (and commercial wine-maker! 😉 and ridiculously sensitive about color. It is absurd. I have gobbled all of your videos and blogs- Thank you for the laughs, inspiration and knowledge. I am a single mother DIY moving away from what my kids called the “Dr. Suess” house (cobbled together with discount BM paint) to Zen/Artsy and you have been with me every step of the way! I have recommended you to countless people. Thank you!!!
The last hurdle is what to paint the wall of cabinets in my low-light north-facing mudroom. Rainwashed walls, White Dove trim/cubbies, honey maple bench seat, red oak stairs and terracotta tile floor. Agreeable Gray is blah and too light in LRV…I need something richer with “meat on its bones” as you would say. Pewter Cast feels like it would create a black hole.
I appreciate you!!!!
Cheers!
I am sipping with you,
Be well,
April-
Hey April, it sounds like we’re kindred spirits!! Okayo it’s tough, as my FIRST thought was…White Dove. I’d hate to dilute the impact of the Rainwashed walls and it contrasts so nicely with white! I worry that some type of gray could be flat.
As for something like Agreeable Gray, agreed. Rainwashed will get VERY FUSSY about warm gray/greige/taupes as it’s a cleaner color and these aren’t. Hmmm. Have you thought about blue-green cabinets? I say this without SEEING the space, but if not white, what about a tone-on-tone look like Jasper Stone or even Underseas, which might appeal to your artsy feels? If I were to choose from grays, funny enough, Pewter Cast is one of the few I’d choose, but even then I’m not sold.
Does that help at all?
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