Contented
SW 6191 · #BDC0B3 · LRV 52 — cool green tone, light — bounces daylight without going clinical.
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What Color Is Contented, Really?
Contented SW 6191 is a muted green-gray. Its hex value #BDC0B3 sits in the green part of the wheel at hue 74 degrees, but the saturation is only about 9 percent, so what your eye mostly registers is a soft, grayed sage. An LRV of 52 places it in the middle of the scale, reflecting about half the light that reaches it, which makes it a genuine mid-tone rather than an off-white.
People choose it when they want color that does not announce itself. It gives a room a quiet, natural cast that pairs easily with wood, warm whites, and stone, and it holds up on full walls, cabinets, and built-ins without turning a space dark. It is the kind of green that reads as a neutral to most visitors.
The catch is how easily it flips. At 9 percent saturation, the green is weak enough that surroundings decide what you see. Next to a saturated green it goes gray and can look drab. Next to a warm beige it suddenly reads clearly sage. Check it against your floors and countertops before you commit.
Contented is a green at heart, sitting at hue 74 degrees, which is the yellow-green side of the family. Saturation of roughly 9 percent keeps that green very quiet, so the color behaves like a soft gray with a green lean rather than a sage you would call green across a room.
Where the undertone shows depends on company. Against clean white trim the green is unmistakable. Against a warm beige or tan it looks cooler and more clearly sage. Put it next to a saturated green tile or a strong olive and it retreats, reading as plain gray by comparison.
It can also pick up a faint warmth from a yellow-toned floor or from bright afternoon sun. Test it on two walls that get different light, and hold it against your existing counters, tile, and wood. Those materials, not the chip, decide which side of the color you end up living with.
Best Rooms and Uses for Contented
At LRV 52, Contented is comfortable on full walls in almost any room that gets some natural light. Bedrooms, living rooms, home offices, and dining rooms all suit it, because the quiet green reads as restful rather than decorative. In a windowless room it can go flat and gray, so plan the lighting first.
Cabinets and built-ins are a strong use. The mid-tone gives kitchen or bath cabinetry depth against a lighter counter without the heaviness of a dark color, and it works on a single island or a laundry run just as well as on a full kitchen.
Outside, it holds up as a soft exterior body color with a white or off-white trim, and it makes a subtle front door. Because it is a green and not a true neutral, keep the trim in a separate white rather than painting trim and walls the same color, which would flatten the room.
How Lighting Changes Contented
An LRV of 52 means Contented gives back about half the light in a room, so it neither brightens a space the way an off-white does nor weighs it down the way a deep color would. That middle position makes it sensitive to what kind of light is falling on it.
In north-facing rooms the cool, indirect daylight drains the small amount of warmth in the color, and it looks grayer, flatter, and more like stone. South-facing rooms bring the yellow-green side forward and make it feel softer and more clearly sage. East rooms read fresher in the morning and settle by afternoon, while west rooms stay muted early and warm up at the end of the day.
Bulbs push it the same way. Warm 2700K lamps bring out the green, and cooler 3500K to 4000K bulbs flatten it toward gray. Look at a sample at night as well as at noon.
Most complaints about Contented 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 6191 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 | Light YearN370-3 · Behr | 1.8 | 52 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Horizon Gray2141-50 · Benjamin Moore | 1.1 | 52 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Mother Nature8004-26C · Valspar | 2.9 | 51 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Misty MeadowPPG1031-2 · PPG / Glidden | 1.2 | 51 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Misty MeadowPPG1031-2 · Glidden | 1.3 | 52 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Frosted Olive425-2DB · Dutch Boy | 0.9 | 52 | Color page → |
Similar Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Contented 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.
Contented vs Similar Colors
Austere Gray SW 6184 at LRV 51 is the nearest relative, a single point darker and a touch less green in the mix. Hazel Gaze SW 9652 at LRV 51 pushes slightly further into green, and Soft Sage SW 9647 at LRV 50 is marginally deeper and greener again. Argos SW 7065 at LRV 51 drops most of the green and behaves like a plain gray, which is the choice when you want no color at all. Comfort Gray SW 6205 at LRV 54 is lighter and reads a little cooler and bluer.
Across brands, Farrow & Ball Mizzle No. 266 at deltaE 0.48 is the same color in practice. Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray 2141-50 at LRV 52 and deltaE 1.14 is visually identical in normal room light. Behr Celadon T16-11 at deltaE 2.41 and Valspar Mother Nature 8004-26C at deltaE 2.89 are very close, so sample first.
Colors That Go With Contented
For a second color in an open plan, its own neighbors sit close enough to feel related without repeating. Argos SW 7065 at LRV 51 is the more neutral gray option, useful when you want one room to hold back. Roycroft Mist Gray SW 2844 at LRV 51 leans warmer and slightly tan, so it bridges toward beige furnishings. Soft Sage SW 9647 at LRV 50 keeps the same weight with a touch more green.
For a lighter partner on a ceiling or an adjoining wall, Comfort Gray SW 6205 at LRV 54 is two points brighter and slightly cooler, which reads as a gentle step up rather than a contrast.
Trim should be a clean or warm white, chosen by which side of the green you want to see, since a warm white pulls the sage forward and a cooler white makes it look grayer. Oak, walnut, brass, and aged bronze all flatter it; bright chrome can read cold.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #BDC0B3 in HSL space. Pair Contented with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Contented FAQ
Is Contented green or gray?
It is both, which is why it works as a neutral. Contented sits at hue 74 degrees in the green range but carries only about 9 percent saturation, so a chip can look gray while a full wall reads clearly sage. Bright daylight and white trim bring the green out, and cool light pushes it back toward gray.
What LRV is Contented?
Contented has an LRV of 52. Light reflectance value runs from 0 for black to 100 for pure white, so 52 is the middle of the scale. It gives back about half the light in the room, which makes it a true mid-tone: it has presence on a wall without darkening the space.
Does Contented work in a dark room?
It can, but with care. At LRV 52 it needs some light to keep its green alive, and in a room with little daylight or cool bulbs it drifts toward flat gray. If the room is dim, add warm lamps at 2700K and test a large sample on the darkest wall before committing to the whole room.
What white trim goes with Contented?
A warm white keeps the sage soft and makes the green read clearly, while a cleaner, cooler white sharpens the contrast and makes Contented look grayer. Decide which side of the color you want to live with, then sample the trim white against the wall color rather than choosing it separately.
Is Contented good for kitchen cabinets?
Yes. Its mid LRV of 52 gives cabinets depth against a lighter counter without making the kitchen feel dark, and the muted green sits comfortably with wood floors, brass or bronze hardware, and warm white walls. It also works on just an island or a lower run when a full kitchen would be too much.
What is the closest match to Contented in other brands?
Farrow & Ball Mizzle No. 266 at deltaE 0.48 and Annie Sloan Paris Grey at deltaE 0.47 land on the same value. Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray 2141-50 at deltaE 1.14 and Glidden Misty Meadow PPG1031-2 at deltaE 1.25 are visually identical in normal room light. Behr Celadon T16-11 at deltaE 2.41 is very close but worth sampling first.
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