Sherwin Williams Peppercorn (7674): Undertones, LRV, & Best Uses
Sherwin Williams Peppercorn is a dark, cool gray paint color. It works well on accent walls, kitchen cabinets, and some exterior surfaces.
Its flexible undertones can influence how it appears alongside interior finishes such as wood stains, tile, and trim.
However, if you’re looking for a dark shade of gray that makes a gorgeous statement, it could hit the spot. From modern to traditional, INSIDE to outside, and everything in between, Peppercorn could be just the color you’ve been searching for.
BEFORE WE GET STARTED…
To show you RELATEABLE & REAL homes, I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. This means I don’t always have the quality photos I need or the RIGHT photos, but DEFINITELY have some SUPER helpful info to help you on your way!
IS PEPPERCORN A WARM OR COOL PAINT COLOR?
While many colors are OBVIOUSLY warm or cool, Peppercorn is tricky as it doesn’t lean significantly one way or the other. This means it’s SUPER unpredictable and can flex with its environment.
If you have south-facing light, Peppercorn could pick up a weeee willy wink o’ warmth without going remotely greige or taupe – to say it’s a warm gray would be a stretch. If you have north-facing light, it will commit more to its gray base without being cold like some traditional gray paint colors.
Generally speaking, it does act like a pretty neutral dark gray paint color, but trust the wee Ginger when she says that this color is HIGHLY unpredictable (which we’ll get into shortly).
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
WHAT’S PEPPERCORN’S LRV?
Peppercorn has an LRV of 10, which places it in the DARK range (almost to the MEDIUM-DARK range). If you have a bright room, it will lighten up Peppercorn for sure while holding a KILLER contrast with white trim. However, if you have a dark room, you can expect Peppercorn to look more like a soft black.
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 Paint NUMBER for Your Home – 62
DOES PEPPERCORN HAVE UNDERTONES?
Every gray has undertones, either blue, green, or purple. Peppercorn can easily flex into ANY of those, making it WILDLY unpredictable. Depending on outside variables, environment, and surroundings, it can flash green, violet, blue, or a melange of all three! As for warmth, in some lights, a polite wink at warmth rises up. In others, it falls right back (based on exposures/light bulbs/etc…) Sampling and comparing are KEY with this one (and every other color, of course).
Benjamin Moore Collingwood with Sherwin Williams Peppercorn feature wall
The Ultimate Guide to Paint Colors & Undertones
SAMPLING PEPPERCORN WITH PEEL & STICK
Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out soon to grab paint samples – stop there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel-and-stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER, and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a few reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…
- samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1 DAY, depending on the location
- they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling
- if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room
Get your Samplize PEEL & STICK SAMPLE
WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE TRIM COLOR TO GO WITH PEPPERCORN?
Peppercorn is super flexible and friendly with a WIDE-RANGE of white paint colors. However, it doesn’t LOVE overly creamy warm ones and is more inclined towards the likes of…
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace for a clean, contrasting look
- Benjamin Moore White Dove for a softer, more subtle (but still contrasting) look
- Benjamin Moore Oxford White, which is in the middle!
The ULTIMATE GUIDE to White Paint Colors
3 Steps to Picking the Best White Paint Color
IS PEPPERCORN A GOOD COLOR FOR THE EXTERIOR OF A HOME?
YASSS! Well, I mean, I can’t promise it’ll look good on YOUR home, but I can say that if your home (roof/stone/brick/surroundings) can handle dark charcoal gray with flexible undertones, it could look pretty awesome opossum. Just be sure to sample carefully to see if there’s a particular undertone that shows up on your home.
In this next photo, look how much Peppercorn changes when it gets a direct hit of sunshine – it’s beautiful either way…
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
Does Your Exposure REALLY MATTER When Choosing EXTERIOR Paint Colors?
IS PEPPERCORN A GOOD COLOR FOR KITCHEN CABINETS?
You bet your BOOTY it is. With how dark Peppercorn is and its lack of predictability, I might not do it everywhere. Still, depending on the other finishes in your kitchen, it could make a gorgeous island accent color or even possibly on the lower cabinets.
The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Island & Bathroom Vanities
The 4 Best Gray & Greige Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets & Vanities
WHAT OTHER COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO PEPPERCORN?
Comparison is the KEY to choosing the best paint color for your home. Don’t be afraid to explore other colors to see how undertones, temperatures, and LRVs shift…
Wellllll, this is where it gets awkward (like me in any social situation). Every color has its own look – perfect matches don’t exist. No matter the color, you WILL see shifts in undertones, temperature, and depths.
- Benjamin Moore Iron Mountain
- Benjamin Moore Gray 2121-10
- Sherwin Williams Gauntlet Gray
WHICH PAINT COLORS GO WITH PEPPERCORN?
When it comes to Peppercorn, it’s important to remember that it’s a CONSIDERABLY dark gray with VARYING undertones. This means that the colors it suits can change based on how Peppercorn looks in your space. You might start with colors such as the following…
- light, slightly warm gray paint colors
- flexible, warm off-white paint colors
READ MORE
Sherwin Williams Web Gray: Paint Color Review
BEHR’S 2024 Color of the Year: CRACKED PEPPER
The Best DARK GRAY Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams
Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray
Paint Color Review of Benjamin Moore Amherst Gray
Not sure which paint color is best for YOUR home?
Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
Chat soon,
Thank you for all the information! Was wondering if toque white sw would go or what sherwin Williams colors you could give that go with peppercorn? I’m thinking of doing my bathroom cabinets. Too dark?
Would peppercorn work for shutters on a red brick exterior house? What would be a body/siding color you would recommend to tie in the warmth from the red brick but give contrast to peppercorn? Does Pussywillow work?
Hi, do you think that Mega Greige on the walls and peppercorn as an accent wall could work together. Thanks.