Sherwin Williams Alpaca SW 7022: Paint Color Review
Is it warm gray or taupe? Let’s find out…
When it comes to neutrals, it’s not just about picking the color you want, but the undertones your room needs – especially when it comes to a color like Sherwin Williams Alpaca. Why? Because it has a bit more going on than the average warm gray or taupe paint color, with some serious undertones to reckon wiht.
WHAT TYPE OF COLOR IS ALPACA?
Alpaca is a neutral paint color that winks pretty hard at the warm gray world but doesn’t totally commit. This means it can shift its look depending on a room’s exposure (from warm gray to taupe). Sure, every paint color changes, but some enter a new color family when they do so, and Alpaca can – quite easily.
In a room with northern exposure, Alpaca’s warmth shows up at the party, but it’s subtle – sipping wine in the corner rather than doing a keg-stand in the middle of the room. If you don’t want to paint your north-facing room a traditionally warm beige or cream but still want a subtle softness, Alpaca could hit the spot. The same goes for eastern rooms (afternoon) and west-facing rooms (morning).
If you sample it and find it a bit too cool for your northern room, or its undertone a bit too strong, I have some great alternatives coming up shortly.
As for south-facing rooms, while Alpaca has a warm backdrop, it doesn’t add an OBVIOUS heat to a room.
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
WHAT’S ITS LRV?
Alpaca has an LRV of 57. This puts it on the LOW end of the ‘light’ range (learn more HERE) with more depth and body than a more typical light-neutral paint color. I like how this depth adds contrast with white trim and holds up better under bright light than lighter shades of taupe without looking too heavy in the average room.
Not sure what LRV is? It could save you paint lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
WHAT ARE ALPACA’S UNDERTONES?
Not everyone loves undertones, but every paint color has them. As for Alpaca, it’s a warm gray that nods at taupe, which means it has a purple (purple-pink) undertone. Is it obnoxious about it? It depends on your perception. For those who strongly dislike purple – probably. But you might be surprised how many interior finishes prefer this undertone over green or blue!
Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Alpaca…
WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE TRIM COLOR WITH ALPACA?
If you’re painting your walls Alpaca and need the perfect shade of white for your trim or cabinets, there are several you should check out…
- Sherwin Williams Pure White
- Sherwin Williams White Snow
I wouldn’t use an overly warm creamy-yellow trim color with Alpaca on the walls, as it could hit an odd note with the Alpaca’s purple-pink undertones. Even Sherwin Williams Alabaster pushes its luck.
The 4 Best White Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams
IS ALPACA A GOOD EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR?
Many stone facades (especially the fake stone look or stone veneer) cater to the undertones found in Alpaca. From there, it comes down to depth and personal preference. While it’s often an option, some people choose colors with a bit more depth, especially if paint colors tend to wash out in their natural light (we’ll look at an option next).
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO ALPACA?
It’s a good idea to sample and compare similar shades before you bite the bullet. Here are a few to add to your list…
ALPACA vs. SHERWIN WILLIAMS AGREEABLE GRAY
You’ll be hard-pressed to find many neutrals as popular as Agreeable Gray. But just because a color is popular doesn’t make it the best choice. In fact, many interior finishes crave the purple undertones of Alpaca and slightly clash with the more neutral approach of Agreeable Gray. SAMPLE AND COMPARE CAREFULLY!
As for temperature, both are comparable enough in their degree of ‘grayness.’
My FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray
What about depth? Agreeable Gray’s LRV of 60 is a bit lighter than Alpaca’s 57. If you prefer Alpaca’s undertones but Agreeable Gray’s depth, try getting Alpaca lightened by 25%!
ALPACA vs. SHERWIN WILLIAMS REQUISITE GRAY
Requisite Gray picks up what Alpaca’s throwing down with undertones, humoring that same purple hue. Where you’ll see a more noticeable difference is in depth…
My FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Requisite Gray
Requisite Gray’s LRV of 45 is a good shot lower than Alpaca’s 57, offering more contrast with trim. Exteriors also often appreciate a color with a bit more meat on its bones – the same goes for interior walls that get a lot of light and kitchen cabinets.
ALPACA vs. POPULAR GRAY
Now, we’re really comparing apples to apples. First, you’ll notice a temperature difference, as Popular Gray is warmer than Alpaca. Comparing the two helps you see how Alpaca can look more like a warm gray compared to the taupe approach of Popular Gray.
As for depth, Popular Gray comes out in the lead with its LRV of 61, but at 57, Alpaca is still on the same playing field.
My FULL Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Popular Gray
Lastly, while they both have purple-pink undertones, being warmer, Popular Gray’s purple-pink is more obvious (while still being reasonably subtle, really), whereas Alpaca caters more to purple with no really strong pink.
DOES ALPACA GO WITH CREAM TRIM & CABINETS?
1000x no. There’s no world where I’d coordinate cream cabinets and Alpaca. It’s too light and too cool. If you have cream-inspired finishes, you might want to read this…quickly.
This next image shows Sherwin Williams Popular Gray, which is warmer than Alpaca. It’s a bit better, but still not good enough…
WHAT COLORS GO WITH ALPACA?
Alpaca isn’t quite as fun to play with as its cousin, Popular Gray (personal opinion), but it still has some great options when creating a whole-home or room-by-room palette…
- Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray and other similar blue-green-gray blends.
- Darker shades of warm gray
- Alpaca can look pretty sharp with navy blue or medium to dark blue-grays.
- Some lighter, softer shades of taupe
- It can look wicked pretty with medium to dark greens, especially slightly cool-toned ones.
- If you want a lighter partner, Alpaca can handle some light to medium blue-grays and green-grays.
NEED HELP?
Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2020, UPDATED IN 2025
Interesting… I have SW Alpaca in my north facing kitchen and dining combo. It doesn’t look at all purple or pink. Rather it tends definitely blue!! Even the lady at the SW store couldn’t figure it out as there is no blue in the color. I think it must have to do with all the wood in our house. I love the light blue undertones I get in this paint. Have now added it to my laundry room and am likely to use it for north side guest bathroom!
I also enjoy your reviews. Thanks!
Good to know Liza! North-facing light CAN do that to some colours for sure. And while I haven’t seen Alpaca do that, you could just have that right environment! It is more GRAY than it is WARM/greige, so I can see how it ‘could’ (it just usually doesn’t 😉
Thank you!
Just had my kitchen painted Alpaca with a south-facing contrast wall in Redbud. I was hoping for a nice warm red but instead the wall looks pink or purple most of the day. It’s got to go but I’m not sure what to replace it with, and I don’t want to have to do it over more than once! The painters did a lovely job everywhere but this was a recommendation that didn’t work out. Any suggestions?
Hi Virginia! Yes, Alpaca definitely has those undertones! I wonder if you might find Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray a bit more subtle while having a similar ‘warm gray’ approach?
Trying to pick paint colors for a new build is terrifying. There are no walls to put “sample colors” on as the walls aren’t built yet. The builder uses only SW paints. I was looking for a “mushroomy” “taupey” color to go with pure white trim. Anew gray feels too dark and Alpaca a bit too light. Found a color called High Sierra in the emerald series that seems to hit the happy middle for me. SW 9588. Has anyone ever used that color? Any in depth advice? Whole home paint color ( kitchen living bathroom etc.. )
My kitchen cabinets in my new home are Alpaca (cabinet maker calls it something else, but that’s the closest paint color I can find). My kitchen has minimal natural light (one small SW window) and the walls are painted with flat First Star — the two look awful together! The undertones in the wall make the cabinets come off a gross fleshy pink instead of gray. I painted the walls in my bathroom with the same cabinets with Breezy, and it looks fabulous- the cabinets now look much more neutral. I want the same effect in my kitchen, but I’m worried that with little natural light, it could end up feeling like a cave if I use a darker color, and that it will always look filthy if I use anything lighter (I have messy kids).
I painted my bedroom this color and I love it. I enjoy that it has more complexity than some of the more popular gray or beige colors. It’s not too cool or too warm. It does pull a teensy mauve but looks great with shades of bedroom decor in pure white, gray, flax, or mauve.
Thank you for your comment, Wendy! Notes like this help other readers decide if it could work for them!
We painted the exterior of our house with Alpaca. It is a soft contemporary with taupe brick & soft brown brick on the bottom with siding on the deck and upper story and on the sides. After reading this article, I now understand why the painter was recommending a purple tone for the deck and the bridge.
I really like the way it turned out. Our house is heavily shaded so Alpaca looks more on the cool side so I was surprised when I read that it is considered a warm tone.
Painted all walls of my home Alpaca.
Kitchen cabinets Eider White with white Quartz counters (wood trim is Alabaster) . I want to paint only the lower cabinet of island (faces living room) a dark, moody green or perhaps sage green but am rethinking given my research of the “coordinating” color ideas. Seems as though a dark gray/blue is better suited to the taupe/mauve undertones of Alpaca.
Hope someone can offer color suggestions to add color to my kitchen & living room palette. Thank you!
Painting our bedroom in Alpaca with white trim. Hoping our deep dark furniture really pops against it. We are coming from a deep blue/green color, which I loved up north, but now down south it is just too dark for us. Fingers crossed that my vision will become reality. I love the green/blue accent colors so this will be a bit of a change, but again hoping my vision will come to life. Wish me luck.
Painting our bedroom in Alpaca with white trim. Hoping our deep dark furniture really pops against it. We are coming from a deep blue/green color, which I loved up north, but now down south it is just too dark for us. I love the green/blue accent colors so this will be a bit of a change, but again hoping my vision will come to life. Wish me luck.
GOOD LUCK! Alpaca is a beautiful color :).