Café Noir
DEBN14 · #614F4A · LRV 9 — warm red tone, very dark — reads black in most rooms.
- 1Black Bean4
- 2Café Noir9
- 3Cavern Clay20
- 4Redend Point30
What Color Is Café Noir, Really?
Café Noir reads as a warm red tone — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover how Dunn-Edwards DEBN14 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Café Noir
Café Noir earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Browns ground a room and pair naturally with leather, wood and warm metals.
How Lighting Changes Café Noir
At LRV 9, Café Noir is about as dark as paint gets — it reads near-black on a wall and reveals its character only in direct daylight or under warm bulbs. Its red undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. In rooms with little natural light it can feel heavy, so reserve it for spaces you want to feel enveloping.
Most complaints about Café Noir 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 Dunn-Edwards DEBN14 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 | Rookwood Dark BrownSW 2808 · Sherwin-Williams | 2.9 | 8 | Color page → |
| Behr | Scented CloveUL130-1 · Behr | 2.1 | 9 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Fresco Urbain1253 · Benjamin Moore | 1.2 | 9 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Hunting Boots1001-9A · Valspar | 2.0 | 9.4 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Chocolate PretzelPPG1017-7 · PPG / Glidden | 1.3 | 9 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Chocolate PretzelPPG1017-7 · Glidden | 1.0 | 9 | Color page → |
Similar Dunn-Edwards Colors
The nearest shades to Café Noir within Dunn-Edwards'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.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #614F4A in HSL space. Pair Café Noir with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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