Daphne
SW 9151 · #899CAA · LRV 32 — cool blue tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Hale Navy8
- 2Waterloo13
- 3Daphne32
- 4Resolute Blue40
- 5Honolulu Blue62
What Color Is Daphne, Really?
Daphne SW 9151 is a mid-tone blue-gray. Its hex value is #899CAA and its hue sits at 205 degrees, squarely in the cool blue range, but saturation is only about 16 percent. That low saturation is the whole story: the blue is present and visible, yet muted enough that the color still behaves like a gray. An LRV of 32 puts it in the middle of the scale, dark enough to have weight and presence without being a deep or dramatic color.
People pick Daphne when a plain gray feels lifeless and a real blue feels like too much. On a wall it reads like weathered slate or worn denim, quiet from a distance and clearly blue up close. That balance makes it useful for bedrooms, offices, and cabinetry where you want depth and calm rather than a color that announces itself.
The catch is that a mid-tone at LRV 32 is at the mercy of the room. In cool north light Daphne turns colder and steelier, and in a dim space it can flatten into something closer to dull gray. Warm bulbs pull it toward green. Sample it on more than one wall and look at it after dark before you commit.
Daphne is a blue at hue 205 degrees, damped down to roughly 16 percent saturation. That is enough color to be clearly cool but not enough to be called a blue paint in most rooms. Think of it as a gray that leans blue, not a blue that has been grayed.
Where the blue shows depends on its neighbors. Against a warm white or a cream, Daphne looks distinctly blue. Against a true navy or a saturated blue it collapses toward gray. Set beside a warm greige or an oak floor it looks cooler and more colorful than it does alone, and beside a green-gray it can pick up an unexpected teal edge.
Because a mid-tone shows its undertone more honestly than a pale tint does, a large sample matters. Paint a two foot square on two different walls, since the wall facing the window and the wall opposite it will not read the same.
Best Rooms and Uses for Daphne
Bedrooms and home offices suit it best. At LRV 32 the color has enough depth to make a room feel enclosed and restful without going dark, and the cool blue lean reads as calm and focused rather than moody.
Cabinetry is the other strong use. On a kitchen island, a bathroom vanity, or a run of lower cabinets, Daphne gives depth against a light counter and lighter upper cabinets, and it works with both warm and cool metals. It also holds up on built-ins and a library or den, where the mid-tone gives shelves definition.
Outside it makes a good shutter, garage door, or front door color on a white or light gray house, and a restrained body color on a coastal or shingle-style home. Keep trim in a separate white. Because it is a mid-tone, avoid using it on all four walls of a room that already gets very little daylight.
How Lighting Changes Daphne
At LRV 32 Daphne reflects only about a third of the light that hits it, so light levels change how the color feels as much as how it looks. North-facing rooms give it cool, indirect daylight that reinforces the blue and can make it read cold and steely, closer to slate than to denim. South-facing rooms add warmth, which softens the blue and lets more of the gray come through.
East rooms look coolest in the morning and settle warmer through the day, while west rooms stay flat and heavy until late afternoon light lifts them.
Bulbs matter here more than with a light color. Warm 2700K lamps cancel some of the blue and can leave Daphne looking muddy or faintly green at night. Cooler 3500K to 4000K bulbs keep it clean and true to the chip. In a room used mainly after dark, choose based on the artificial light, not the daylight.
Most complaints about Daphne 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 9151 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 | Relaxing BlueICC-65 · Behr | 0.8 | 32 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | CoastlineAF-570 · Benjamin Moore | 2.5 | 34 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Impressionist8004-39D · Valspar | 3.7 | 32 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Lost At SeaPPG1040-5 · PPG / Glidden | 1.4 | 32 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Lost At SeaPPG1040-5 · Glidden | 1.6 | 32 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Monument Gray433-4DB · Dutch Boy | 1.8 | 32 | Color page → |
Similar Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Daphne 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.
Daphne vs Similar Colors
Within the Sherwin-Williams deck the neighbors sort themselves by how much blue survives. Baby Blue Eyes SW 9070 at LRV 34 is the bluest at #83A2B4 and reads as a proper soft blue rather than a gray. Favorite Jeans SW 9147 at LRV 35 is lighter and also clearly blue at #8AA3B1. Debonair SW 9139 at LRV 34 goes the other way at #90A0A6, grayer and slightly green, while Cadet SW 9143 at LRV 31 and Dustblu SW 9161 at LRV 32 are near neutral grays.
Across brands, Behr Relaxing Blue ICC-65 at LRV 32 has a deltaE of 0.77 and is effectively the same color. Glidden Lost At Sea PPG1040-5 at LRV 32 sits at deltaE 1.55 and Dutch Boy Monument Gray 433-4DB at LRV 32 at deltaE 1.75, both visually identical in normal room light. Benjamin Moore Coastline AF-570 at LRV 34 is deltaE 2.55, very close but worth sampling first, and Valspar Impressionist 8004-39D at LRV 32 is deltaE 3.72, close but visibly different side by side.
Colors That Go With Daphne
A clean white trim gives the crispest result and lets the blue lean read clearly. A warm white softens the contrast and makes Daphne feel less cold, which helps in north-facing rooms. Either works, so match whichever white already runs through the house.
For layering within a scheme, its close relatives are useful. Cadet SW 9143 at LRV 31 is nearly the same depth but far grayer at #91999C, which makes it a good quiet partner on trim-heavy millwork or a neighboring wall. Dustblu SW 9161 at LRV 32 does the same job at the same lightness. If you want an adjoining room to hold the tone but read lighter and bluer, Favorite Jeans SW 9147 at LRV 35 shifts that way.
For materials, white oak, walnut, natural linen, and aged brass warm Daphne up. Polished nickel, chrome, and black metal keep it cool and graphic. Warm leather and rattan are a reliable way to stop the room from feeling chilly.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #899CAA in HSL space. Pair Daphne with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Daphne FAQ
Is Daphne blue or gray?
It is a gray that leans blue. The hue sits at 205 degrees, which is cool blue, but saturation is only about 16 percent, so the color behaves like a gray in most rooms. Next to a warm white it looks clearly blue, and next to a true navy it collapses back toward gray.
What LRV is Daphne and what does it mean?
Daphne has an LRV of 32. LRV runs from 0 for black to 100 for pure white, so 32 is a true mid-tone. It reflects about a third of the light that reaches it, which gives a room depth and a sense of enclosure without making it dark or dramatic.
Does Daphne work in a dark room?
Use it carefully. At LRV 32 it does not return much light, so in a windowless or heavily shaded room it can flatten and look dull. If the room is dim but you want the color, use it on one wall, on cabinetry, or on built-ins rather than on all four walls.
What white trim goes with Daphne?
A clean white gives the sharpest contrast against an LRV 32 wall and makes the blue lean read clearly. A warm white softens the effect and helps in north-facing rooms where Daphne can feel cold. The main thing is to keep trim well above the wall in lightness so the mid-tone has a defined edge.
Is Daphne good for kitchen cabinets or exteriors?
Yes to both. On an island, a vanity, or lower cabinets its mid-tone depth reads well against light counters and lighter uppers, and it takes both warm and cool metal hardware. Outside it works as a shutter, garage door, or front door color on a light house, and as a restrained body color on coastal or shingle-style homes.
Is there a Behr or Benjamin Moore match for Daphne?
Behr Relaxing Blue ICC-65 at LRV 32 has a deltaE of 0.77 from Daphne, which makes it effectively the same color. Benjamin Moore Coastline AF-570 at LRV 34 is further out at deltaE 2.55, very close but worth sampling first. Glidden Lost At Sea PPG1040-5 at LRV 32 sits at deltaE 1.55 and is visually identical in normal room light.
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