Blue Refrain
SW 6956 · #B0D8E7 · LRV 64 — cool blue-green tone, light — bounces daylight without going clinical.
- 1Peacock Blue35
- 2Wythe Blue48
- 3Blue Refrain64
- 4Open Air70
- 5Bubble77
What Color Is Blue Refrain, Really?
Blue Refrain reads as a cool blue-green tone — light — bounces daylight without going clinical. The notes below cover how Sherwin-Williams SW 6956 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Blue Refrain
Blue Refrain is an easy whole-room color for living spaces and bedrooms, and light enough to carry onto trim or a ceiling if you want a soft, seamless look. Teals add character without shouting — good for a vanity, an island or a feature wall.
How Lighting Changes Blue Refrain
At LRV 64, Blue Refrain is a light color that bounces daylight around a room without tipping into stark white. 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. It holds its undertone in most exposures, which is what makes light shades like this so forgiving room to room.
Most complaints about Blue Refrain 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 Sherwin-Williams SW 6956 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behr | Breezy BlueM490-1 · Behr | 2.3 | 66 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Ocean Breeze2058-60 · Benjamin Moore | 0.3 | 65 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Misty5002-9B · Valspar | 1.0 | 64.3 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | ArielPPG1237-3 · PPG / Glidden | 1.5 | 63 | Color page → |
| Glidden | ArielPPG1237-3 · Glidden | 1.5 | 64 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Blue Fin137-3DB · Dutch Boy | 1.9 | 64 | Color page → |
Similar Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Blue Refrain within 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 #B0D8E7 in HSL space. Pair Blue Refrain with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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