Color Swatch LabGuides · CSL–032
Best paint colors for holiday hosting
What this page is
The colors below are a shortlist for three rooms people use when they host: the entry, the dining room and the living room. Each LRV and hex is copied from that brand's own color page, retrieved October 30, 2026. Where the brand published a sentence about warmth, coolness or undertone, it is quoted. Where the page does not, this guide does not invent one. Putting a color in the entry column or the dining column is our editorial guidance, not a ranking from the manufacturer.
A screen swatch is a poor final test. Follow how to test a paint sample and read what LRV means before you buy gallons. Timing the work so the film can cure is covered in how long paint takes to cure before the holidays.
How to use LRV for a room full of people
LRV runs from 0 to 100. A higher number reflects more light. Our own bands, which are a rule of thumb and not a standard, call 70 and above a white or off-white, 50 to 70 a light-to-mid neutral, and under 30 a dark color. Those bands are explained on the LRV page.
An entry is often seen from a darker porch or hallway. A higher LRV keeps that first wall from reading as a hole. A dining room is usually lit by the lamps and candles you turn on for the meal, so a lower LRV can hold greenery and a dark table without the walls looking unfinished. A living room has to live with the tree, the wrapping, the sofa and the ordinary Tuesday that follows, so a mid LRV leaves the seasonal color somewhere to sit. Window direction still changes all of this: see north versus south light and how bulbs change paint.
Entry: higher LRV
| Color | LRV | Hex | What the brand publishes about the color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chantilly Lace OC-65 | 90.04 | #F4F6F1 | Benjamin Moore calls it a classic go-to white and files it in the White family. The page does not use the words warm or cool. |
| Simply White OC-117 | 89.52 | #F6F6ED | "The slightest hint of warmth makes this clean, crisp white a favorite to use anywhere in the home." |
| Greek Villa SW 7551 | 84.223 | #F0ECE2 | Sherwin-Williams files it under White and Pastel. The product attributes page publishes RGB, hex and LRV, and it does not publish an undertone sentence. |
| Swiss Coffee 12 | 84 | #F1EDE0 | On the color page, Behr color stylist Diana Olvera is quoted calling it a warm white with soft creamy undertones rather than icy or blue-based notes. |
| Blank Canvas DC-003 | 84 | #F1EDE1 | The color page calls it "a creamy and engaging white that is not too warm or cool." |
| Pure White SW 7005 | 83.957 | #EDECE6 | White and Pastel on the Sherwin-Williams page. No undertone sentence on that attributes page. |
| White Dove OC-17 | 83.16 | #EFEEE5 | "Unerring style defines this clean and classic white." No warm or cool label on the page. |
| Alabaster SW 7008 | 82.215 | #EDEAE0 | White and Pastel. No undertone sentence on the attributes page. |
| Snowbound SW 7004 | 82.771 | #EDEAE5 | White and Pastel. No undertone sentence on the attributes page. |
These whites are not interchangeable just because the LRVs cluster. From the published hex values, converted to CIELAB, Greek Villa SW 7551 is delta E 0.9 from Behr Blank Canvas and delta E 1.46 from White Dove. Alabaster is delta E 0.83 from Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee OC-45 and delta E 1.24 from White Dove. Behr Swiss Coffee 12 is delta E 1.14 from Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee OC-45. White Dove's nearest color in this set is Behr Harmonious White DC-013, at delta E 0.21, not a Sherwin-Williams white. Distances under 2 are very close on our scale. They are still screen distances, and the methodology page explains why a wall can disagree.
Living room: mid neutrals that can take seasonal color
| Color | LRV | Hex | What the brand publishes about the color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgecomb Gray HC-173 | 63.09 | #D9D3C4 | "A go-to neutral that can refresh a space, while providing a warm, welcoming feeling." Gray family. |
| Agreeable Gray SW 7029 | 60.386 | #D1CBC1 | Neutral family. The attributes page publishes the hex and LRV and does not publish an undertone sentence. |
| Tranquil Gray DC-007 | 60 | #D0CBC0 | Neutral family. The color page describes a soothing quality for bedrooms and mixing with white, black and other tinted neutrals. It does not label an undertone. |
| Repose Gray SW 7015 | 58.22 | #CCC9C0 | Neutral family. No undertone sentence on the attributes page. |
| Accessible Beige SW 7036 | 57.67 | #D1C7B8 | Neutral family. No undertone sentence on the attributes page. |
| Revere Pewter HC-172 | 55.05 | #CBC6B8 | "An iconic neutral that provides a versatile bridge between warm and cool tones." |
| Natural Almond PPU4-12 | 65 | #DED2BB | Behr files this in the Yellow family. LRV 65 puts it with the light-to-mid group. It is not labeled a gray on the color page. |
People often ask for the Benjamin Moore equivalent of Agreeable Gray. Neither brand publishes one. In this set the nearest Benjamin Moore color to Agreeable Gray, by CIEDE2000 on the published hex values, is Sea Salt CSP-95 at delta E 1.48. Benjamin Moore's page for that color calls it "a nuanced neutral that effortlessly balances between warm and cool," with LRV 61.09 and hex #D4CFC3. The nearest Behr color is Tranquil Gray, at delta E 0.81.
Revere Pewter is the name that usually comes up in that question. The distance from Agreeable Gray to Revere Pewter is delta E 2.46, and the distance to Edgecomb Gray is delta E 2.86. On our scale, under 2 is very close, 2 to 3 is visible side by side, and over 5 is clearly different. Revere Pewter is close to Agreeable Gray and it is not the nearest Benjamin Moore color in this set. Open either color page for the current nearest match. Those pages label the result as a color distance, not an official conversion.
Dining room: lower LRV, if the lamps are doing the work
| Color | LRV | Hex | What the brand publishes about the color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evergreen Fog SW 9130 | 30.402 | #95978A | Green family. No undertone sentence on the attributes page. LRV 30.402 is the lightest of the dining colors in this table. |
| Newburg Green HC-158 | 10.58 | #445962 | The name says green. Benjamin Moore's page files it in the Blue family and calls it "a captivating shade of teal." |
| Vine Leaf N400-7 | 10 | #4D5F4F | Green family. The color page publishes the hex and LRV. It does not add an undertone sentence in the testimonial block. |
| Hale Navy HC-154 | 8.36 | #434B56 | Filed in the Gray family. The description calls it "a use-anywhere shade of navy with a classic maritime feel." |
| Very Navy M500-7 | 6 | #3A4859 | Blue family. Hex and LRV are on the color page. No undertone sentence in the testimonial block. |
| Salamander 2050-10 | 5.72 | #2F3E3E | "A deep, dark mix of black, blue, and green." Blue family on the Benjamin Moore page. |
| Naval SW 6244 | 4.458 | #2F3D4C | Neutral family, LRV 4.458. No undertone sentence on the attributes page. |
Do not treat these as substitutes for one another. Naval and Behr Very Navy are delta E 3.78 apart. Naval and Hale Navy are delta E 5.53 apart, which is a clear difference on our scale, even though both get called navy in ordinary speech. Evergreen Fog and Vine Leaf are delta E 24.69 apart. Evergreen Fog and Newburg Green are delta E 28.46 apart. Same holiday table, different colors. The nearest-match line on each color page is the one to use, and it will name a nearer color than these famous pairs when one exists in the set.
Sheen, samples and the night you actually host
Holiday rooms get wiped: handprints in the entry, splatters in the dining room, a tree against a living-room wall. Sheen is a separate choice from the color. Use sheen by room and the sheen guide. Then leave enough time for the film to cure before anyone scrubs it. The cure guide uses the dry, recoat and wash times on the product data sheets, counted back from the 2026 dates USPS and Amazon Shipping publish.
Test the finalists at night with the bulbs that will be on for the meal, and again in the morning. A color that looks right at noon can shift once the lamps are warm. Peel-and-stick sheets and painted boards are both covered on the samples page.
Peel-and-stick samples are made with real paint and move from wall to wall without brushes or patches.
FAQ
- What is the Benjamin Moore equivalent of Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray?
- There is no official equivalent. In this set the nearest Benjamin Moore color to Agreeable Gray SW 7029, by CIEDE2000 distance on the published hex values, is Sea Salt CSP-95 at delta E 1.48. Revere Pewter HC-172, the color people often name, is delta E 2.46 from Agreeable Gray, so it is close and it is not the nearest. Behr Tranquil Gray DC-007 is closer than either, at delta E 0.81.
- What is the LRV of Agreeable Gray?
- Sherwin-Williams publishes an LRV of 60.386 for Agreeable Gray SW 7029, with hex #D1CBC1. The attributes page does not publish an undertone sentence for it.
- What paint colors work in a holiday dining room?
- Darker published colors in this set include Evergreen Fog SW 9130 at LRV 30.402, Newburg Green HC-158 at LRV 10.58, Vine Leaf N400-7 at LRV 10, Hale Navy HC-154 at LRV 8.36, Very Navy M500-7 at LRV 6, Salamander 2050-10 at LRV 5.72 and Naval SW 6244 at LRV 4.458. They are not matches for each other. A lower LRV only makes sense if the room is lit when you use it. Test a sample at night.
- Should the entry be lighter than the living room?
- Often, yes, because an entry is seen against a darker hall or porch. The entry colors on this page are the ones with published LRVs from 82.215 to 90.04. That grouping is our guidance. The LRV figures themselves are the manufacturers’.
Sources
- Light reflectance value (Wikipedia)
- Agreeable Gray SW 7029 color page (Sherwin-Williams)
- Repose Gray SW 7015 color page (Sherwin-Williams)
- Accessible Beige SW 7036 color page (Sherwin-Williams)
- Alabaster SW 7008 color page (Sherwin-Williams)
- Greek Villa SW 7551 color page (Sherwin-Williams)
- Pure White SW 7005 color page (Sherwin-Williams)
- Snowbound SW 7004 color page (Sherwin-Williams)
- Naval SW 6244 color page (Sherwin-Williams)
- Evergreen Fog SW 9130 color page (Sherwin-Williams)
- White Dove OC-17 color page (Benjamin Moore)
- Simply White OC-117 color page (Benjamin Moore)
- Chantilly Lace OC-65 color page (Benjamin Moore)
- Revere Pewter HC-172 color page (Benjamin Moore)
- Edgecomb Gray HC-173 color page (Benjamin Moore)
- Hale Navy HC-154 color page (Benjamin Moore)
- Swiss Coffee OC-45 color page (Benjamin Moore)
- Sea Salt CSP-95 color page (Benjamin Moore)
- Salamander 2050-10 color page (Benjamin Moore)
- Newburg Green HC-158 color page (Benjamin Moore)
- Swiss Coffee 12 color page (Behr)
- Blank Canvas DC-003 color page (Behr)
- Tranquil Gray DC-007 color page (Behr)
- Harmonious White DC-013 color page (Behr)
- Very Navy M500-7 color page (Behr)
- Vine Leaf N400-7 color page (Behr)
- Natural Almond PPU4-12 color page (Behr)
Sources checked October 30, 2026. Rules of thumb on this page are our editorial guidance, not standards.
Colors this guide applies to: white · neutral · green · blue · gray.
Judging a real can of paint, not a screen chip: how to order samples · how we plan to measure color · how to test a sample.