Color guide · Magnolia Home · Black

Cottage Grove

JG-161 · #494E4B · LRV 7 · neutral with no strong undertone

JG-161 · #494E4B · LRV 7 — neutral with no strong undertone, very dark — reads black in most rooms.

Cottage GroveMagnolia Home · JG-161
The color, edge to edge.Use your own photo →
Cottage Grove
MAGNOLIA HOME · JG-161 · #494E4B
Brand · codeMagnolia HomeJG-161 · all Magnolia Home blacks
LRV7Very dark — reads black in most rooms.
Undertoneneutral with no strong undertone
FamilyBlack
Hex · RGB · HSL#494E4B · 73, 78, 75 · 144°, 3%, 30%Display values from the brand. Match it at another brand
Sheen we recommendEggshell on walls · satin on trim and cabinetsWhich sheen where, explained
Where it sits, light to dark
  1. 1Cordovan Brown0
  2. 2Cottage Grove7
Undertone and depth

What Color Is Cottage Grove, Really?

Cottage Grove reads as a neutral with no strong undertone — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover how Magnolia Home JG-161 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.

Room by room

Best Rooms and Uses for Cottage Grove

Cottage Grove earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Near-blacks like this are best as contrast — doors, trim, cabinets, window frames.

Light by light

How Lighting Changes Cottage Grove

At LRV 7, Cottage Grove 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. Because it carries almost no measurable hue, it stays a true neutral and pairs cleanly with nearly any trim or floor. In rooms with little natural light it can feel heavy, so reserve it for spaces you want to feel enveloping.

Test it in your light, not a showroom's

Most complaints about Cottage Grove 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.

Upload a photoPainted in about a minuteFree, no account
Visualize in your room
Same color, different store

Need It From Another Brand?

Any paint counter can custom-tint Magnolia Home JG-161 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.

Same deck, next chip over

Similar Magnolia Home Colors

The nearest shades to Cottage Grove within Magnolia Home's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

Contrast, for text and signage
Black text on Cottage Grove · 2.5 : 1 · fails for textWhite text on Cottage Grove · 8.5 : 1 · passes AA and AAA

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 #494E4B in HSL space. Pair Cottage Grove with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#494E4B + #4E494C
TRIADIC
#494E4B · #4B494E · #4E4B49
ANALOGOUS
#4A4E49 · #494E4B · #494E4E

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Jessica Williams

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