Poolhouse
SW 7603 · #8095A0 · LRV 29 — cool blue tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Hale Navy8
- 2Waterloo13
- 3Poolhouse29
- 4Resolute Blue40
- 5Lost in the 80s51
What Color Is Poolhouse, Really?
Poolhouse SW 7603 is a mid-tone blue-gray. Its hex value #8095A0 sits at hue 201 degrees, which is the blue part of the wheel, but with only about 14 percent saturation it stays soft and dusty rather than bright. An LRV of 29 puts it in the mid to deep range, so it has clear weight on a wall without reading as a dark color.
It gets picked when a room needs color that still behaves. The blue is strong enough to be obvious in daylight and quiet enough to sit under wood, white trim, and warm metals without fighting them. That combination suits bathrooms, bedrooms, cabinetry, and exteriors where a true navy would be too much and a plain gray would be too little.
The practical catch is that it moves. At this saturation the blue can drop away in poor light and leave a flat gray, and in cool north rooms it can look colder and slightly steely. Check it against your tile and countertops, since nearby blue or green surfaces will pull it one way or the other.
Poolhouse is a blue with a gray body. Hue 201 degrees is a clean, slightly cool blue, and around 14 percent saturation keeps it dusty rather than vivid. What you notice depends heavily on scale: a chip looks gray, a full wall in daylight looks clearly blue.
There is a faint green edge in it, which is what stops the color from feeling like a plain sky blue. Against a green tile or a sage cabinet that side comes forward and Poolhouse can look softer and more teal. Against a warm beige or a tan floor it looks cooler and more blue. Next to a saturated navy it retreats and reads gray.
White trim sharpens the blue and makes it read as color; a warm cream softens it. Sample it against the fixed materials in the room, especially tile, stone, and any existing cabinetry, before deciding which version of it you are getting.
Best Rooms and Uses for Poolhouse
Poolhouse handles full walls well in rooms with reasonable daylight. Bedrooms, bathrooms, powder rooms, and home offices suit it, and at LRV 29 it gives real depth without turning a room dark. In a windowless space it loses the blue and flattens, so treat it as a color that needs some light.
Cabinetry is a strong use. On a vanity, an island, or a full kitchen run it reads as a considered color rather than a trend, and it sits comfortably with white counters, wood floors, and brass or brushed nickel hardware. Built-ins and a paneled accent wall work the same way.
Outdoors it is a natural exterior body color with white trim, and it makes a quiet front door or shutter color on a light house. Since it is a color and not a neutral, keep trim in a separate white rather than painting trim and walls the same.
How Lighting Changes Poolhouse
With an LRV of 29, Poolhouse reflects a moderate amount of light, so the room's brightness matters. In north-facing rooms the cool, indirect daylight reinforces the blue and can make it feel colder and more steely, closer to slate than to a soft blue-gray. That can be exactly right in a bathroom and too austere in a bedroom.
South-facing rooms get the warmest, strongest light, which softens the blue and lets the faint green side show. East rooms look crisp and blue in the morning and settle down by afternoon; west rooms stay quiet early and warm at the end of the day.
Bulbs shift it noticeably. Warm 2700K lamps mute the blue and can make the walls look gray at night, while 3500K to 4000K bulbs hold the color closer to what you see at noon. Because 29 LRV goes dim quickly, sample it near your actual fixtures.
Most complaints about Poolhouse 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 7603 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 | Coastal VistaPPU14-06 · Behr | 3.0 | 28 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | AmsterdamAF-550 · Benjamin Moore | 1.0 | 29 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Evening Eclipse4007-3C · Valspar | 1.8 | 29.5 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | SeastonePPG10-11 · PPG / Glidden | 1.4 | 30 | Color page → |
| Glidden | SeastonePPG10-11 · Glidden | 1.1 | 30 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Blue Laguna432-5DB · Dutch Boy | 0.0 | 29 | Color page → |
Similar Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Poolhouse 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.
Poolhouse vs Similar Colors
Whirlpool SW 9135 at LRV 29 is the closest relative, nearly the same value with a marginally softer cast. Morning at Sea SW 9634 at LRV 29 shifts slightly green, and Tranquil Aqua SW 7611 at LRV 30 goes further that way, reading as a gentle teal. Dyer's Woad SW 9071 at LRV 30 is the more clearly blue option, while Dried Lavender SW 9072 at LRV 29 and Dusty Heather SW 9073 at LRV 28 turn toward violet at the same depth.
Across brands, Dutch Boy Blue Laguna 432-5DB at LRV 29 and deltaE 0 shares the same value, and Benjamin Moore Amsterdam AF-550 at deltaE 0.96 is effectively the same color. Glidden Seastone PPG10-11 at LRV 30 and deltaE 1.12 is visually identical in normal room light. Behr Coastal Vista PPU14-06 at deltaE 2.96 is very close, so sample first, and Farrow & Ball Berrington Blue No. 14 at deltaE 4.91 is close but visibly different side by side.
Colors That Go With Poolhouse
For a second color in the same house, its own neighbors keep the palette calm. Tranquil Aqua SW 7611 at LRV 30 shifts slightly green and works for an adjoining bathroom. Dyer's Woad SW 9071 at LRV 30 is a truer blue for a room that should feel a little brighter. Dried Lavender SW 9072 at LRV 29 and Dusty Heather SW 9073 at LRV 28 both hold the same weight while leaning violet, which suits a bedroom next door.
Morning at Sea SW 9634 at LRV 29 and Whirlpool SW 9135 at LRV 29 are close enough to sit on cabinetry while walls stay in Poolhouse, without an obvious clash.
Trim wants a white, and the choice sets the mood: a clean white sharpens the blue, a warm white softens it. Oak and walnut, natural stone, brass, and brushed nickel all work; heavy black hardware makes the whole scheme read cooler.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #8095A0 in HSL space. Pair Poolhouse with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Poolhouse FAQ
Is Poolhouse blue or gray?
It is a blue-gray that shows both sides depending on light and scale. The hue sits at 201 degrees, which is genuinely blue, but the saturation is only around 14 percent, so a small chip can look gray while a full wall in daylight reads clearly blue. Warm lamplight at night pushes it back toward gray.
What LRV is Poolhouse?
Poolhouse has an LRV of 29. Light reflectance value runs from 0 for black to 100 for pure white, so 29 sits in the mid to deep range. It has real presence on a wall and gives a room depth, but it does not read as a dark color the way a navy or charcoal would.
Does Poolhouse work in a north-facing room?
It does, but it will look cooler there. North light is indirect and cool, which strengthens the blue and can make the walls feel steely rather than soft. That suits a bathroom or an office. In a bedroom where you want warmth, add warm 2700K lamps and a cream trim to take the edge off.
What white trim goes with Poolhouse?
Both directions work, and they give different results. A clean, bright white sharpens the contrast and makes the blue obvious. A warm white or cream softens the color and brings out the faint green in it. Sample the trim white on a board next to the wall color rather than choosing it on its own.
Is Poolhouse good for cabinets or exteriors?
Yes to both. At LRV 29 it gives a vanity, island, or full kitchen run depth against a light counter without darkening the room, and it pairs easily with wood, brass, and brushed nickel. Outdoors it works as an exterior body color with white trim, or as a quiet front door and shutter color on a lighter house.
What is the closest match to Poolhouse in other brands?
Dutch Boy Blue Laguna 432-5DB at LRV 29 and deltaE 0 is the same value. Benjamin Moore Amsterdam AF-550 at deltaE 0.96 is effectively identical, and Glidden Seastone PPG10-11 at deltaE 1.12 is visually identical in normal room light. Dunn-Edwards Silver Storm DE5822 at deltaE 2.57 is very close but should be sampled first.
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