Purple Prose
DET405 · #554348 · LRV 7 — warm red tone, very dark — reads black in most rooms.
- 1Weathervane2
- 2Purple Prose7
- 3Porpoise13
- 4Cavern Clay20
What Color Is Purple Prose, Really?
Purple Prose reads as a warm red tone — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover how Dunn-Edwards DET405 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Purple Prose
Purple Prose 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 Purple Prose
At LRV 7, Purple Prose 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 magenta 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 Purple Prose 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 DET405 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 | Plum BrownSW 6272 · Sherwin-Williams | 2.8 | 6 | Color page → |
| Behr | Black RaspberryHDC-FL14-9 · Behr | 0.3 | 6 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Vintage Wine2116-20 · Benjamin Moore | 2.3 | 8 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Raspberry TruffleM101 · Valspar | 0.8 | 6.7 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Black ElegancePPG1004-7 · PPG / Glidden | 4.5 | 7 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Black Currant30RR 07/094 · Glidden | 2.0 | 7 | Color page → |
Similar Dunn-Edwards Colors
The nearest shades to Purple Prose 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 #554348 in HSL space. Pair Purple Prose with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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