Dunn-Edwards Dark Shadows#455559 · LRV 8
Dark Shadows reads as a blue-green / cool — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover the spec, what Dunn-Edwards DEA183 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Color spec
| Brand | Dunn-Edwards |
| Name | Dark Shadows |
| SKU | DEA183 |
| Hex | #455559 |
| RGB | 69, 85, 89 |
| HSL | 192°, 13%, 31% |
| LRV | 8 |
| Undertone | blue-green / cool |
| Family | Gray |
About Dunn-Edwards Dark Shadows
At LRV 8, Dark Shadows 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 teal 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.
Dark Shadows earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Grays like this read as a modern neutral and sit comfortably alongside both warm woods and cool metals.
Kompozit alternative
The closest hex in the Kompozit deck, ranked by ΔE2000 (perceptual color difference). ΔE under 2 is indistinguishable to most eyes; under 5 is a very close visual match.
Closest matches at every US brand
9 brands · top 5 each5 closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all gray from that brand.
Behr
Benjamin Moore
Valspar
PPG / Glidden
Sherwin-Williams
Farrow & Ball
Magnolia Home
Clare
Similar Dunn-Edwards colors
closest in the Dunn-Edwards deckThe nearest shades to Dark Shadows 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 #455559 in HSL space. Pair Dark Shadows 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.