Suffolk Blue
HGSW 1385 · #8EA9C2 · LRV 38 — cool blue tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Hale Navy8
- 2Waterloo13
- 3Suffolk Blue38
- 4Honolulu Blue62
- 5After Rain68
What Color Is Suffolk Blue, Really?
Suffolk Blue reads as a cool blue tone — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover how HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams HGSW 1385 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Suffolk Blue
Suffolk Blue is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. Blues calm a room, which makes them popular in bedrooms, bathrooms and home offices.
How Lighting Changes Suffolk Blue
Suffolk Blue sits in the mid-range at LRV 38, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. Its blue 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. South-facing rooms will pull it lighter and warmer, while north light cools it down.
Most complaints about Suffolk Blue 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 1385 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 | CosmosSW 6528 · Sherwin-Williams | 0.0 | 38 | Color page → |
| Behr | ParisPPU14-08 · Behr | 1.5 | 37 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Harlequin Blue830 · Benjamin Moore | 2.7 | 38 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Porcelain VaseV109-4 · Valspar | 1.2 | 37.7 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | KaleidoscopePPG1160-4 · PPG / Glidden | 1.3 | 37 | Color page → |
| Glidden | KaleidoscopePPG1160-4 · Glidden | 1.3 | 37 | Color page → |
Similar HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Suffolk Blue 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 #8EA9C2 in HSL space. Pair Suffolk Blue with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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