Blue gray paint color is a soothing choice for your home because it symbolizes serenity, calmness, and well-being.
The variations among the shades and tones are almost limitless. For a modern understated look, light blue gray colors like SW Reflection and SW Misty are a few of the best choices.
But if you're looking to paint an accent wall or an entire room and make a bold statement without being overpowering, let me introduce you to Sherwin Williams Waterloo.
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What Color Is Sherwin Williams Waterloo?
Waterloo is featured in the Sherwin Williams 2024 Color Collection of the Year where it's described as deep rain-soaked blue evoking the calmness after a storm.
Soft but deep Sherwin-Williams Waterloo will definitely take over a space but it won't be too loud about it, making it a transformative yet sophisticated choice for accent walls like board and batten and shiplap fireplaces, built in cabinets and exterior trim.
Is Sherwin-Williams Waterloo warm or cool?
Sherwin-Williams Waterloo is a cool toned blue gray.
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What are the SW Waterloo undertones?
Waterloo can trick the eye into seeing green undertones, making it appear teal. However Waterloo's predominant undertone is gray. Gray saves Waterloo from skewing toward bright nursery blue and brings calmness and sophistication to your space.
What is the SW Waterloo LRV?
With an LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of 13, SW Waterloo is a medium dark shade that doesn't reflect much light, similar to some of the softer black shades I've reviewed like SW Peppercorn.
If you have the right light and decor you can make Waterloo work even in a small, dark room. Just be sure you have a lot of natural light or light neutral furnishings and decor to balance it out.
Lighting definitely affects how you'll see this color so you'll want to test Sherwin Williams Waterloo samples on your walls before making a paint decision.
The Best Way To Test Paint Colors On Your Walls
No need to buy paint samples and paint big squares of each color on your walls! Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples from all major paint brands delivered to your door so you can put them up on the wall with no mess.
Waterloo Sherwin Williams Vs Other Blue Gray Paint Colors
These next three paint colors are deeply saturated cousins to Waterloo, but all of them vary in the amount of gray undertone. Let's look at each one more closely.
SW Waterloo vs Smoky Blue
SW Smoky Blue is just a hair brighter than SW Waterloo on the LRV scale, and side by side you can see that it has less blue. Smoky Blue levels up the amount of gray undertone and also adds in a dash of green. Both colors will have big impact when used as an accent, cabinet, or trim color.
PinSW Waterloo vs Distance
SW Distance is another beautiful smoky blue color which I used on the wall behind my cabinet builtins to make the white shelves pop. SW Waterloo is a bit darker than SW Distance, and has more blue and less gray. SW Distance comes off as cooler due to having more gray.
PS: You can find all my neutral paint colors listed in this post.
PinSW Waterloo vs Granite Peak
SW Granite Peak gets down and serious about being a gray blue, rather than a blue gray, so if you're looking for a much more muted blue than SW Waterloo this could be the one. The gray in Granite Peak gives it a moodier feel than Waterloo, although both shades are equally dark. Both these colors look amazing with light wood finishes.
PinTo see how these colors compare in your home, be sure to head to Samplize for stick-on wall paint samples.
More Blue Gray Paint Colors To Consider
Photos Of Rooms With Waterloo Color Palette
Seeing SW Waterloo in action on some real life homes will help give you a feel for what this classic blue gray paint can do for your home.
Sherwin Williams Waterloo Exterior
SW Waterloo on wood shutters adds a stylish note and visual interest to this lime-washed brick home.
PinSW Waterloo cabinets
Sherwin Williams Waterloo belongs on cabinets, y'all. Transforming plain white or gray cabinets with this rich muted blue is nothing short of stunning. It goes particularly well with the clean square lines of the shaker style.
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PinSW Waterloo accent wall
When it comes to transforming an ordinary room with subtle drama, a rich dark blue gray accent wall is tough to beat. This home used SW Waterloo to full advantage as an enticing backdrop for the wet bar area.
PinOne of the favorite details in a media room designed by Emily Henderson is this comfy daybed builtin. The clean lines and bright white of the nook is offset by the serene drama of Waterloo that frames it.
For an office space full of personality, try an accent ceiling for an unexpected bold yet soothing touch designed to boost productivity. Created by Jen from An Inspiring Home, she chose Hinting Blue by Sherwin Williams as the wall color to create contrast.
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PinSW Waterloo paint looks dreamy dark in this bedroom and enhances the architecture on the millwork.
PinPainted furniture Using SW Waterloo
I love painted furniture projects and Christina at @amostsimplehome scored big on this one. She revived a beat up cabinet with new feet, hardware and a coat of SW Waterloo.
PinSherwin-Williams Waterloo Coordinating Colors
As a cool tone, Sherwin Williams Waterloo is a happy companion with other cool neutrals, like grays and blacks. Pair Waterloo with whites and off-whites, and natural elements and textures like rattan and wicker.
Other Things to Consider When Choosing Colors For Your Home
A lot of factors go into selecting colors for your home, and it goes way beyond paint color.
Things like your home color palette, existing colors in your home (that you may not be able to change), and the color of the natural light, or lack of natural light can change the way a color shows up in your home.
In my self-paced online color course, Color Made Clear, I walk you through all the steps to choosing and using color in your home to create a pulled together and cohesive look, even if you have things like cabinet color or floors you can't change.
LEARN MORE ABOUT COLOR MADE CLEAR
