Secret Garden
HGSW 6181 · #4F523A · LRV 8 — warm yellow tone, very dark — reads black in most rooms.
- 1English Ivy2
- 2Secret Garden8
- 3Sage Green22
- 4Evergreen Fog30
What Color Is Secret Garden, Really?
Secret Garden reads as a warm yellow tone — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover how HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams HGSW 6181 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Secret Garden
Secret Garden earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Greens bridge indoors and out, so they suit living rooms, kitchens and sunrooms.
How Lighting Changes Secret Garden
At LRV 8, Secret Garden 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 yellow 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 Secret Garden 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 HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams HGSW 6181 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 | Secret GardenSW 6181 · Sherwin-Williams | 0.0 | 8 | Color page → |
| Behr | Frontier Shadow740D-7 · Behr | 2.1 | 8 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Artichoke2141-10 · Benjamin Moore | 4.1 | 8 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Castle StonePPG1128-7 · PPG / Glidden | 3.6 | 9 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Castle StonePPG1128-7 · Glidden | 3.5 | 9 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Brackish Water323-7DB · Dutch Boy | 0.0 | 8 | Color page → |
Similar HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Secret Garden within HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams'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 #4F523A in HSL space. Pair Secret Garden with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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