Sherwin Williams Riverway: Best Uses, Real Home Images, & More

Blue and green paint colors are the most popular paint colors. But what happens when you mix them? You get gorgeous colors like Sherwin Williams Riverway SW 6222. 

Clients and readers often ask me for colors like this for accent walls, front doors, kitchen islands, and more. However, just because it’s badass and beautiful doesn’t mean it’s the perfect color for every job. This is why learning about it and sampling it carefully are important parts of the process. 

WHAT TYPE OF COLOR IS SHERWIN WILLIAMS RIVERWAY?

Riverway is a blue paint color…or is it? Not all blues are created equal. Some lean blue-purple, some lean blue-green, and the rare blue sits more or less…blue.

There’s no scientific or visible doubt that Riverway is a blue with a ton of green. To the point that you can easily call it a blue-green paint color that changes its perceived color-bias based on a room’s surrounding finishes, lighting, and exposure – THAT’S how much green vs. blue it has. 

Riverway is a color that’s very open to perception. Do you see it as a blue, green, or blue-green? If you ask this color cowgirl, it’s a blue-green. 

THE LRV OF RIVERWAY

Riverway has an LRV of 16 (according to the peeps at Sherwin Williams). This makes it a medium-dark paint color. 

Now, some darker paint colors can fall flat in dark rooms or are too dramatic and moody – not this one. Riverway’s degree of color (chroma) helps it stand up in low-light situations. As for dramatic and moody, some might see it that way, but there’s a world of colors that cover that territory – Riverway only winks at it. 

DOES SW RIVERWAY HAVE UNDERTONES?

We’ve already covered that Riverway can easily be called a blue-green paint color. However, it’s got one more trick up its colorful little sleeves – gray. This gray never takes over, but keeps things calmer and more relaxing than bright shades of blue or teal.

THE BEST WHITE TRIM COLORS WITH RIVERWAY

Riverway is pretty darn easy to please when it comes to white trim, doors, and cabinets. Here are a few whites I suggest to my clients when using Riverway…

• Sherwin Williams Greek Villa has a brighter, more cheerful warmth
• Sherwin Williams Pure White is a soft, barely warm white
• I also love Sherwin Williams Alabaster when a home/room calls for a bit more creamy warmth. 

Also, don’t choose Riverway without sampling it with your home’s finishes and lighting. Here’s your peel-and-stick sample. 

While I never recommend sampling this many colors at once, some of my clients love a FULL range of options…

Here are peel and stick samples of the BEST colors from the above collection…

SW Mediterranean | BM Caribbean Teal | BM Avalon | BM Blue Echo | BM Templeton Gray

We’ll chat about Riverway’s best comparables shortly. I don’t have reviews for the above colors as most aren’t super mainstream or popular. 

WHERE RIVERWAY DOES (& DOESN’T) WORK BEST

Colors like this aren’t meant for every room and every surface. That said, Riverway hits a lot of happy places. Let’s start with its most common uses…

• Accent wall
• Single room (great for a den)
• Front doors
• Kitchen islands

Now let’s dive into a few more specific topics…

DOES IT GO WITH CREAM CABINETS & TRIM?

It depends. If your cream cabinets and trim are super glazed and muted, Riverway might not be the best choice. However, for a well-balanced cream paint color, Riverway can offer a really pretty contrast. 

The Best Paint Colors With Cream Cabinets & Trim

DOES IT GO WITH WOOD FINISHES?

Does the Pope fart? Heck yes! And as glorious and holy as that might be, Riverway is even better. 

I haven’t written reviews for these 2 yet, but here they are on the SW website: SW Jasper Stone | SW Teal Stencil

I wouldn’t hesitate to sample it with a range of wood finishes – everything from golden oak to cherry-red wood stains, pine, and more.

In the above example, Riverway appears much bluer than it usually does, as do the others. This is why sampling in your home environment is so important! 

IS IT A GOOD COLOR FOR KITCHEN CABINETS & ISLANDS?

This isn’t to say it’s hugely popular, but Riverway can absolutely be a gorgeous cabinet color and a great way to add personality to your kitchen island.

One reason I often suggest it to my clients is that it goes well with a ton of white and off-white quartz countertops. 

IS IT A GOOD EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR? 

For exterior use, fewer people want to paint their siding or stucco a color like Riverway, but for homes that suit this type of color, it has the potential to be stunning. On the other hand, I often recommend it to my virtual paint color consulting clients for the outside of their front doors (inside, too).

 

Keep reading for some of its best comparables…

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO RIVERWAY?

When choosing your best paint color, it’s VITAL that you sample and compare a range. You might think a color is your ‘best shade’, but upon comparison, you might find an even better alternative! 

RIVERWAY VS. SHERWIN WILLIAMS STILL WATER

No matter what you need a paint color for, comparing Riverway and Still Water is a great idea. 

Both colors have similar intentions, being cool green paint colors that can pick up a bit of blue and have a modest gray in their undercarriage (same with Tim). The biggest difference is in depth. 

The Best Blue-Green Blend Paint Colors

As mentioned above, Riverway has an LRV of 16, making it a medium-dark shade of green. Still Water comes in with a whoppingly low LRV of 10, making it a dark paint color. Of the 2, Riverway is more popular for most projects. 

RIVERWAY VS. SHERWIN WILLIAMS ROCKY RIVER

When comparing these 2, there’s one obvious difference – color. 

Riverway is our glorious blue-green…or is it? Compared to Rocky River, it looks much bluer. But don’t let that fool you; both are cool-toned, but Rocky River has far less blue tendencies. 

As for depth, it’s only a wee smidge darker, with an LRV of 15 (Riverway’s 16). 

Here are the paint colors I most often recommend comparing with Riverway. 

BENJAMIN MOORE ALTERNATIVES

If you’re a Benny fan, compare Riverway to these baddies (a good thing, according to my teenage daughters). 

• Benjamin Moore Polar Jade (also known as Polished Slate) has a bit more color (chroma) but is super comparable
• Benjamin Moore Caribbean Teal (shown below) is a super popular blue-green and definitely worth sampling. 

WHAT BEHR PAINT COLOR IS SIMILAR TO RIVERWAY?

Oh, Behr comes in guns a blazin’ (which would make most bears nervous) with Hidden Gem. This beautiful shade of green is a bit darker than Riverway, as shown by its LRV of 14. It can also come across a bit stronger and a touch greener. 

WHAT COLORS GO WITH RIVERWAY IN A PALETTE?

When coordinating with any color, it comes down to what you need it for. As for Riverway, do you need a partner for an adjoining room, attached walls (when Riverway is used on an accent wall, island, or cabinets), or accent colors for decor? Regardless, these color groups will get you on the right path…

• WARM OFF-WHITES: A wide range of off-whites work well with accent colors like Riverway.
• MOODY GREIGES: I love cool greens with a bunch of organic greiges with noticeable green undertones.
• TAUPE PAINT COLORS: It can also be a great accent for a range of taupes with purple-pink-appearing undertones. 
• WARM WHITES & BRIGHT WHITES: You can explore a super wide range of popular, warm white paint colors, and bright, true whites. 
• BEIGE-TAN: It can act as a striking accent for beige and tan paint colors, both those in the light range, as well as the slightly darker, moodier range. 
• PURPLE COLORS: For a dynamic partnership, purple paint colors offer a gorgeous complement. This can include grays with purple undertones, too. 

SUMMARY: PROS, CONS, & CONSIDERATIONS

• Sherwin Williams Riverway SW 6222 is a medium-dark shade of cool green. 
• It’s popular for accent walls, kitchen islands, front doors, and single rooms.
• Some find it a touch too colorful to be fully organic or earth-toned, whereas many of my clients find it to be the perfect shade for that purpose.
• It’s too strong for an open-concept space, unless you want to absolutely DOUSE your space in depth and color. 
• It can easily be used for color-drenching, where it’s used on the walls, trim, doors, and ceiling. 

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