Sherwin Williams Alpaca: The Quick and Dirty on LRV, Undertones and a Little More

I love doing colour reviews, and am slowly working my way towards reviewing ALL of the top paint colours from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams. The Quick & Dirty paint colour reviews are designed to cover the BASICS of paint colours that aren’t talked about as much in the design world OR that I just don’t have enough of images of yet (as I ONLY use photos from my Online Colour Consulting clients).

What type of paint colour is Sherwin Williams Alpaca? Is it greige, warm gray or taupe?

Alpaca is an interesting one – a real colour NINJA. It’s WARMER than a traditional warm gray, making it more of a greige, but it also has a BIT MORE undertone than you’ll find in some of the most popular greige paint colours (ie: SW Agreeable Gray), which gives it a bit of a taupe look.

Is Sherwin Williams Alpaca warm or cool-toned?

Alpaca is DEFINITELY a warm neutral paint colour. While it can flash that bit more gray in north-facing light, it has warm bones to start with.

What’s the LRV of Alpaca?

Alpaca has an LRV of almost 57. This puts it on the LOOOW end of the ‘light’ range (learn more HERE) as it has more depth and body than a more typical light neutral paint colour.

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

What are the undertones of Alpaca? Will it look purple or pink?

Well, it depends on how sensitive you are to undertones. Personally, I love neutrals, but I’m not a HUGE fan of purple-pink and I WOULD find Alpaca just a WINK too colourful (purple) for me and might be more inclined towards the more neutral approach of Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray – but that’s me. Some homes have products in them that NEED this commitment to a purple undertone. As for pink, while it is a slightly warm purple undertone (meaning it leans more towards red than blue), it doesn’t usually go too purple-pink.

The more neutral looking Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray

What’s the best way to sample Alpaca?

Like with every paint colour, 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!

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

With Alpaca on the walls, I wouldn’t want trim that is TOO creamy as it could hit an odd note with the purple undertone in Alpaca, which would prefer a more subtle approach. Even Sherwin Williams Alabaster is pushing its luck and I’d lean more towards Sherwin Williams Pure White or Sherwin Williams Snowbound could be even nicer, but isn’t a great WHOLE HOME trim colour as it would limit you in other rooms.

Is Alpaca a good colour for the exterior of my home?

It would make me nervous, but could greatly depend on the colours in your roof and stone/brick, which might NEED this bit more commitment to purple. Colours like this often look a bit warmer on an exterior than an interior, and I might worry about it flashing a bit purple-pink with its undertones.

Why isn’t Alpaca as popular?

In the greige or taupe world, Alpaca is reasonably popular, but with its increased undertone, many people defer to more neutral warm gray and greige paint colours like Sherwin Williams Repose Gray, Agreeable Gray and Benjamin Moore Collingwood.

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

SHERWIN WILLIAMS ANEW GRAY

SHERWIN WILLIAMS POPULAR GRAY

Not sure which paint colour is best for YOUR home?

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

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