Sherwin Williams Dovetail: Undertones, Best Uses, & Lighting

One of the most popular medium-toned grays

There aren’t many paint colors as versatile as Sherwin Williams Dovetail. Whole rooms feature walls, cabinets, islands, interior doors, exteriors, and more – is there anything Dovetail doesn’t look good on? But that doesn’t mean it will be the best fit for you and your home, as it’s essential to research before slapping any paint on those walls!

 

IS DOVETAIL A WARM OR COOL GRAY?

Dovetail is a warm gray paint color, meaning it has a softer look than traditional cool gray or charcoal paint colors.

If you have a north-facing light, Dovetail may look a ‘bit’ more like a traditional gray while still holding a passive warmth. However, if you have south-facing or afternoon western light, you’re more likely to see the pretty warmth hiding inside it.

North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?

 

WHAT’S DOVETAIL’S LRV?

Dovetail has an LRV of 26, which means it’s a solid medium-depth paint color. With this depth, Dovetail will create a moody environment without looking gratuitously heavy, like some darker shades with lower LRVs.

If you have an overly bright room, Dovetail will naturally lighten up but still hold its bulk.

Sherwin Williams Cyberspace walls | Dovetail cabinets

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

 

WHAT ARE DOVETAIL’S UNDERTONES?

Many of my Online Color Consulting clients seek the perfect neutral gray paint color. Sadly, this doesn’t exist. Like death, taxes, and empty wine bottles, undertones are hard to avoid. While you can often find any of the three gray undertones in one color, Dovetail favors a very (very) minor purple undertone – one that can be hard to see at first or even second glance.

Sherwin Williams Dovetail with an older style granite countertop

 

Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Dovetail…

 

WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE TRIM OR CABINET COLOR WITH DOVETAIL?

Whether you have Dovetail cabinets and want white walls or need a coordinating white for your trim and cabinets with Dovetail walls, there are a bunch you can check out, including…

• Sherwin Williams Extra White
• Sherwin Williams Pure White
• Benjamin Moore White Dove
• Sherwin Williams White Snow

The Best White Paint Colors for Cabinets, Trims & Walls

The 4 Best White Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams

 

IS DOVETAIL A GOOD EXTERIOR COLOR?

Absolutely! With its medium-range LRV, Dovetail is a great choice for many exterior palettes. However, like its main competition, Metropolis, it might look a bit warmer than expected in some exterior lighting, especially south-facing, morning eastern, or afternoon west-facing light. Just make sure it suits your stone, brick, roof, and other exterior considerations.

Sherwin Williams Keystone Gray (top), Dovetail (bottom)

Sherwin Williams Alabaster with Dovetail shutters and metal roof

5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color

 

IS DOVETAIL A GOOD CHOICE FOR CABINETS?

You bet it is, but it can be a wink warm for some of the popular gray, white, and marble-look quartz and laminate countertops.

Sherwin Williams Pure White cabinets | Agreeable Gray walls | Dovetail island

The Best Gray & Greige Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets

 

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO DOVETAIL?

You won’t find an exact match for ANY color between brands – you’ll always see shifts in undertones, temperature, and depths. This said, it’s important to sample and compare similar shades, so let’s check out…

• Benjamin Moore Metropolis is one of my favorites from Benjamin Moore.
• Sherwin Williams Gauntlet Gray offers a bit more depth but a similar approach.
• Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray offers a little shift in undertones for you!
• Nervous about purple undertones? Take a look at Sherwin Williams Classic French Gray.

Benjamin Moore’s Best DARK Gray & Charcoal Paint Colors

 

WHAT COLORS GO WITH DOVETAIL?

Regarding Metropolis, it’s important to remember that it’s a considerably warm gray, so it’s not quite as flexible as a traditional gray paint color. However, it does have some versatility with colors like…

• A range of lighter grays that are the same warmth as it or even a bit warmer.

• Taupes can be beautiful with Dovetail.

• Dovetail doesn’t want to be partnered with colors that are lighter and cooler than itself unless there’s some good separation/walls between them.

• Deep, grounded, darker earth tones, particularly some blue-gray blends and darker shades of green.

READ MORE

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Classic French Gray

The 4 Best Paint Colors for a Kitchen Island

Benjamin Moore’s Best Dark Gray Paint Colors

NEED HELP?

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

WRITTEN IN EARLY 2019, UPDATED IN 2024