Color spec
| Brand | Dunn-Edwards |
| Name | Café Noir |
| SKU | DEBN14 |
| Hex | #614F4A |
| RGB | 97, 79, 74 |
| HSL | 13°, 13%, 34% |
| LRV | 9 |
| Undertone | warm red tone |
| Family | Brown |
About Dunn-Edwards 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.
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.
Closest matches by brand
13 brands within ΔE 5The closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Only colors within ΔE 5 (close enough to substitute on a wall) are shown — brands with no real match are left off. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all brown from that brand.
Sherwin-Williams
Behr
Benjamin Moore
Valspar
PPG / Glidden
Glidden
Dutch Boy
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams
Diamond Vogel
Hirshfield's
Rodda
C2 Paint
Kompozit
Similar Dunn-Edwards colors
closest in the Dunn-Edwards deckThe 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.
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.
Accessibility (WCAG contrast)
WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.
Dunn-Edwards Café Noir Equivalents at Other Brands
Matching Café Noir from a different paint counter? Below is the single closest color in each major US deck and how close it really is. Remember that any paint store can also custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEBN14 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.
Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Café Noir
At Sherwin-Williams, the closest color to Café Noir is Rookwood Dark Brown (SW 2808) — very close at ΔE 2.91, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 9) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Rookwood Dark Brown swatch →
Behr Equivalent of Café Noir
At Behr, the closest color to Café Noir is Scented Clove (UL130-1) — very close at ΔE 2.15, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Scented Clove swatch →
Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Café Noir
Benjamin Moore's nearest match is Fresco Urbain (1253), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.17). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9) and carries a warm red undertone, so it substitutes for Café Noir without repainting risk. See the full Fresco Urbain swatch →
Valspar Equivalent of Café Noir
At Valspar, the closest color to Café Noir is Hunting Boots (1001-9A) — very close at ΔE 2.04, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9.4 vs 9) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Hunting Boots swatch →
PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Café Noir
PPG / Glidden's nearest match is Chocolate Pretzel (PPG1017-7), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.34). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9) and carries a warm red undertone, so it substitutes for Café Noir without repainting risk. See the full Chocolate Pretzel swatch →
Glidden Equivalent of Café Noir
The closest Glidden equivalent of Café Noir is Chocolate Pretzel (PPG1017-7). At ΔE 0.96 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same warm red undertone and sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9). If Glidden is your counter, order Chocolate Pretzel and you'll get the same color. See the full Chocolate Pretzel swatch →
Dutch Boy Equivalent of Café Noir
At Dutch Boy, the closest color to Café Noir is Heritage Brown (411-7DB) — very close at ΔE 2.83, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 9) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Heritage Brown swatch →
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Café Noir
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams has no exact twin of Café Noir. The nearest is Sable (HGSW 3451) at ΔE 3.92 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 9). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Sable swatch →
Hirshfield's Equivalent of Café Noir
At Hirshfield's, the closest color to Café Noir is Connoisseur (0143) — very close at ΔE 2.98, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 10 vs 9) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Connoisseur swatch →
Rodda Equivalent of Café Noir
At Rodda, the closest color to Café Noir is Bistre (CA214) — very close at ΔE 2.34, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Bistre swatch →
C2 Paint Equivalent of Café Noir
C2 Paint's nearest match is Ulysses (C2-822), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.42). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9) and carries a warm red undertone, so it substitutes for Café Noir without repainting risk. See the full Ulysses swatch →
Kompozit Equivalent of Café Noir
At Kompozit, the closest color to Café Noir is Connoisseur (0143) — very close at ΔE 2.98, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Connoisseur swatch →