Smoke Bush Rose
S170-5 · #AD8177 · LRV 26 — warm red tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Turkish Coffee5
- 2Porpoise13
- 3Smoke Bush Rose26
- 4Camel Train31
What Color Is Smoke Bush Rose, Really?
Smoke Bush Rose S170-5 is a dusty rose that sits deeper than most people expect a pink to sit. Its hex is #A87881 and its LRV is 23, which puts it in the dark band: the wall gives back only about a quarter of the light that hits it, so a room painted in it feels wrapped rather than opened up. The hue lands at 349 degrees, just on the red side of pink, and saturation is only 22 percent, so the color is grayed and dusty instead of bright.
People choose it when they want color with some age in it. The muted warm red reads like faded velvet or a dried petal, which is why it shows up on bedroom walls, dining rooms, and painted furniture more often than in bright open kitchens. It is soft enough to stay calm and dark enough to carry a room on its own, so the space looks finished without much else on the walls.
The thing to check first is light. At LRV 23 it needs decent daylight or warm bulbs, and in a dim north-facing room it drops toward a brownish mauve that can look muddy. It also moves depending on what is next to it: against cool grays it goes purple, against warm beige it goes brown. Paint a large sample and look at it over a couple of evenings before you commit.
What hides in Smoke Bush Rose is a warm red base carried at low strength. The hue of 349 degrees is technically red rather than pink, and the 22 percent saturation grays it down until the eye reads mauve or dusty rose. There is enough red to keep it from tipping into lavender, but not nearly enough to make it look like a clear, cheerful pink.
The undertone shows most in strong daylight and against clean white trim, where the rose comes forward plainly. Beside its Behr neighbors the lean gets easy to see. Bedford Brown 140F-4 at #A3768A and LRV 23 is the more violet version of the same idea, while Fresh Cedar MQ1-52 at #A57D74 and LRV 24 pulls toward brown. Smoke Bush Rose sits between the two.
Hold a sample next to any pink, terracotta, or wood tone already in the room. Nearby warmth pushes it purple, and nearby purple pushes it brown.
Best Rooms and Uses for Smoke Bush Rose
This is a bedroom and dining room color first. At LRV 23 it encloses a space rather than expanding it, which suits rooms used mostly in the evening: a primary bedroom, a dining room, a powder room, a small study lined with books. In a windowless bath it turns the lack of daylight into a feature instead of a fault.
It also works on furniture and joinery. A painted dresser, a built-in bookcase, an interior door, or the lower wall under a picture rail all take it cleanly, and at this depth it hides handprints far better than a pale pink would.
On kitchen cabinets it is a real commitment, since a warm muted pink is distinctive enough to date faster than a neutral. Outside, it does well on a front door or shutters against a light body color. As a full exterior body color on a sunny elevation it can start to read washed out.
How Lighting Changes Smoke Bush Rose
At LRV 23 this color absorbs far more light than it returns, so the room does most of the work. North-facing light is cool and flat, and it drains some of the red, leaving the wall grayer, deeper, and closer to a soft plum-brown. If that room is also small or shaded by trees, expect it to look considerably darker than the chip suggested.
South-facing rooms are the friendlier case. Warm, plentiful light brings the red forward and the wall reads as a clear dusty rose. East rooms look warmest in the morning and flatten by afternoon. West rooms do the opposite and glow late in the day.
Bulbs matter as much as windows at this depth. Warm 2700K lamps put the rose back after dark and keep the wall from going gray. Cooler 3500K to 4000K bulbs strip the warmth out and can leave it dull and faintly purple, which is the most common complaint people have with muted pinks.
Most complaints about Smoke Bush Rose are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Behr S170-5 directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.
| Brand | Closest color | ΔE | LRV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Hushed AuburnSW 9080 · Sherwin-Williams | 3.0 | 26 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Brown Teepee2102-40 · Benjamin Moore | 1.9 | 25 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Canyon Earth1007-9C · Valspar | 2.1 | 26.1 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Ferris WheelPPG1059-5 · PPG / Glidden | 1.8 | 25 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Ferris WheelPPG1059-5 · Glidden | 2.1 | 25 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Mystic Mauve407-4DB · Dutch Boy | 1.2 | 26 | Color page → |
Similar Behr Colors
The nearest shades to Smoke Bush Rose within Behr's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.
Smoke Bush Rose vs Similar Colors
Inside Behr, the closest calls are Bedford Brown 140F-4 at #A3768A and LRV 23, the same depth but visibly more violet, and Auburn Glaze S180-5 at #B17874 and LRV 24, which is warmer and clearly more terracotta. Fresh Cedar MQ1-52 at #A57D74 and LRV 24 goes further toward brown again.
Across brands, Glidden Mauve Madness PPG1049-5 at #AA7982 and LRV 24 has a deltaE of 0.52, so for practical purposes it is the same color. Dutch Boy Pressed Bloom 201-5DB at LRV 23 and Kompozit Lover's Tryst 0099 at LRV 24 both land near deltaE 2.2, which makes them very close but worth sampling first. Valspar Taffeta Darling V079-5 at LRV 22.2 is the same story at deltaE 2.94.
Sherwin-Williams Salon Rose SW 61 at LRV 23 sits at deltaE 3.77, close but visibly different side by side, and Benjamin Moore Burgundy Rose 1280 at deltaE 4.41 is redder still.
Colors That Go With Smoke Bush Rose
Trim is the first decision. A soft warm white keeps the rose gentle and settled, while a bright cool white sharpens the edge and makes the red read stronger. Both are correct, so choose based on how loudly you want the pink to speak.
For a tonal scheme, stay inside the same band. Muse 700B-4 at #A17F8D and LRV 25 is the cooler, more mauve neighbor and works on an adjacent wall or a low ceiling. Brandied Apple ICC-108 at #A37C79 and LRV 24 shifts the same depth toward terracotta, which is useful for a second room in an open plan. Mulberry Wine T15-19 at #997C85 and LRV 23 is a touch grayer and suits cabinetry.
Materials finish the job. Warm oak and walnut sit naturally against it, brass and aged bronze pick up the red, and matte black hardware gives it a harder edge. Polished chrome tends to read cold here.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #AD8177 in HSL space. Pair Smoke Bush Rose with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Smoke Bush Rose FAQ
Is Smoke Bush Rose warm or cool?
Smoke Bush Rose is warm. Its hue sits at 349 degrees, on the red side of pink, and Behr describes it as a warm red tone. The 22 percent saturation grays it down, so the warmth is quiet rather than loud. In cool north light it can look more plum or brown, but its base character stays warm.
What LRV is Smoke Bush Rose?
Smoke Bush Rose has an LRV of 23. LRV runs from 0 for black to 100 for pure white, so at 23 this color reflects less than a quarter of the light that reaches it. That places it in the dark range, deep enough to change the mood of a room and dark enough that lighting choices matter.
Does Smoke Bush Rose work in a dark room?
It can, but plan the lighting. At LRV 23 there is little light coming back off the wall, so a dim north-facing room will look considerably deeper than the chip. Warm 2700K bulbs keep the rose visible after dark, while cooler bulbs pull the red out and leave it looking gray. Small evening rooms suit it best.
What white trim goes with Smoke Bush Rose?
Both warm and cool whites work, and they give different results. A soft warm white softens the contrast and lets the rose look faded and calm. A crisp, cleaner white raises the contrast and makes the red in Smoke Bush Rose read more clearly. Sample both against the wall color before choosing, since the difference is large at LRV 23.
Is Smoke Bush Rose good for cabinets or exteriors?
On cabinets it works, though it is a distinctive choice rather than a safe one, and at LRV 23 it hides marks well. Outside it is strongest on a front door or shutters against a lighter body color. As a whole exterior body color in full sun it can start to look washed out, so test it on the actual elevation.
What is the closest match to Smoke Bush Rose in another brand?
Glidden Mauve Madness PPG1049-5 at #AA7982 and LRV 24 is the closest, with a deltaE of 0.52, which means the two are the same color in practice. Dutch Boy Pressed Bloom 201-5DB and Kompozit Lover's Tryst 0099 both sit near deltaE 2.2, very close but worth a sample. Behr colors are mixed at The Home Depot.
Have you painted with Smoke Bush Rose?
Rate it — one tap helps the next reader decide.
Ask a Question