Sherwin Williams Moth Wing 9174: Paint Color Review -

The best dark beige…or is it light brown? Let’s find out!

With paint and design trends leaning warmer, it’s no surprise to see a color like Moth Wing pop up in our Pinterest and Instagram feeds.

To show you RELATEABLE and REAL homes, I only use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients and readers. I also don’t ‘borrow’ images from other blogs to showcase my own ideas. This blog post (for now) is a bit more meat n’ potatoes (don’t worry, there’s still a lot of gravy). As Moth Wing becomes more mainstream, I’ll add more photos of it in action!

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IS MOTH WING A WARM OR COOL PAINT COLOR?

Moth Wing is a warm paint color. But unlike the rich beiges and browns of the early 2000s, Moth Wing has a dusting of gray to calm it down. This blend gives Moth Wing a moody look. Sure, it’s still warm, but it’s not the toasty warmth you might expect from a traditional dark beige or light brown.

IS MOTH WING BEIGE OR BROWN?

Now, that’s a darn good question. If you ask this color cowgirl, Moth Wing is a soft, light shade of brown. Ask someone else; they might see it as a dark shade of beige. It all comes down to perception. Really, once a color hits around the 30LRV mark, it’s anyone’s call (we’re touching more on LRV shortly).

Here’s my one lonely picture of Moth Wing (my client’s before photo); that’s all you get for now. But it still looks darn pretty!

Ideas to Update your 2000s Home (including ideas for the above light fixture!)

Moth Wing is a moodier, warmer paint color, making it an interesting shade for different exposures. For example, I might not use some colors like this in a north-facing room or one with low light, as they don’t always rise to the occasion. But I feel like the intention of Moth Wing is to BE muted, moody, and seductive (if that can be said of a moderate neutral).

If you have a north-facing room or one with eastern light, Moth Wing will add warmth, but thanks to its gray backdrop, it’s passive. This is great if you don’t love rich, warm brown-beiges but want some depth and intimacy.

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

If your room is south-facing or has afternoon western sunshine, Moth Wing’s subtle warmth means it won’t overheat like many of the traditional darker beige-browns can, it’s more grounded.

WHAT’S THE LRV OF MOTH WING?

Moth Wing has an LRV of 29, putting it smack-dab in the middle of the medium-depth range. This depth can work on kitchen cabinets for those wanting a color with a bit more meat on its bones, accent walls, and even entire rooms!

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

How to Make a Dark Room Look Brighter – and it ain’t with paint!

The Best DARK Paint Colors for a DARK room

WHAT UNDERTONES DOES MOTH WING HAVE?

As you learned above, Moth Wing has a gray undertone. However, we also need to talk about green and violet.

When there’s gray in a color, we risk green, violet, or blue undertones (but blue doesn’t happen in these warmer shades). Now, Moth Wing’s gray is subtle, fo sho, but the awesome thing about it is that, unlike many shades, it doesn’t cater hard to any other undertone.

But (it’s a big Kardashian-sized one), this comes with a risk. Some finishes NEED a color with a committed undertone, even if it’s somewhat subtle. Compare Moth Wing to your finishes and make sure it satisfies their undertone needs!

The Ultimate Guide to Paint Colors & Undertones

Paint sampling just got a whole lot easier (and more fun!)

Get your Samplize PEEL & STICK SAMPLE HERE!

WHAT WHITE TRIM COLOR GOES WITH MOTH WING?

Being a medium-depth paint color, you’d think Moth Wing would humor a wide range of whites – not so much. I would definitely avoid cool whites, and even clean, bright whites seem a bit ambitious for the vibe of Moth Wing. Instead, check out…

Sherwin Williams Pure White
Benjamin Moore White Dove
Sherwin Williams Alabaster

The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colors

IS MOTH WING A GOOD EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR

Moth Wing can be an awesome choice for your exterior siding or stucco. This is because it leans into many common brick and stone finishes and even humors some fiberglass roofs. Most of the credit can be given to its lack of obvious undertones.

5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color

Does Your Exposure REALLY MATTER When Choosing EXTERIOR Paint Colors?

IS MOTH WING A GOOD COLOR FOR KITCHEN CABINETS?

That would be a hard yes—so hard I’m getting a little excited (wink, wink). While I love off-white and light-depth cabinets, they can be a huge challenge to coordinate wall colors. Once you add some depth, things change. Not to say the world’s your oyster, but you’ll have a few good shades to play with.

The Best Medium-Depth Beige, Taupe, & Greige Paint Colors

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO MOTH WING?

When picking a color, whether for your walls, cabinets, trims, or exterior, it’s SO IMPORTANT that you compare similar shades. Sometimes, a wee tweak can land you with your perfect shade!

Sherwin Williams Keystone Gray is similar to Moth Wing, but notice how it grabs a touch more gray-taupe.
Sherwin Williams Tony Taupe has a similar backdrop to Moth Wing but a bit lighter (LRV 37).
Benjamin Moore Racoon Hollow is great if your surface needs a mild green undertone—sometimes, you don’t know until you compare!
Benjamin Moore Nordic Gray is a great comparison as it’s a bit richer and warmer (more brown/less gray) with a wink of green.
Lastly, one of my favorite soft brown/dark beige colors is Benjamin Moore Alexandria Beige, which has the same depth but is slightly warmer.

My Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Tony Taupe

My Sherwin Williams Keystone Gray Paint Color Review

Benjamin Moore’s Alexandria Beige

WHICH PAINT COLORS GO WITH MOTH WING?

Like any warm color, whether muted or intense, Moth Wing can be a bit fussy about some of its color partners. However, once you dodge those bullets, a world of color awaits you, including…

Some muted shades of beige, both off-white and light depth.
Many darker shades of green are just SCRUMPTIOUS with Moth Wing ( I love Cast Iron and Pewter Green).
It’s okay with some darker blues as long as they’re more blue-GRAY and not remotely strong in color.
Most warm whites will work with Moth Wing, although it has its faves (suggested earlier).
Darker shades of greige can be amazeballs, especially Porpoise and Urbane Bronze.
Moth Wing rarely loves being partnered with grays that are lighter than it – even the same depth can be touchy (learn more about that HERE).
Make sure the colors you use with Moth Wing (either in adjoining rooms or as accent colors) have a degree of gray or muddiness to them—Moth Wing doesn’t love too much intensity.