Purple Passage
SW 6551 · #645E77 · LRV 12 — cool blue tone, dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.
- 1Nocturne Shade5
- 2Purple Passage12
- 3Blue Nova17
- 4Gothic Purple24
What Color Is Purple Passage, Really?
Purple Passage reads as a cool blue tone — dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs. The notes below cover how Sherwin-Williams SW 6551 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Purple Passage
Purple Passage works best as a feature — a single wall, built-ins, a study or dining room — rather than wrapping a whole bright space. Purples range from restful (bedrooms) to dramatic (powder rooms) depending on depth.
How Lighting Changes Purple Passage
With an LRV of 12, Purple Passage is a deep, dramatic shade. It soaks up light in north-facing rooms and looks richest where strong daylight hits it. Its blue 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. Warm artificial light softens it; cool LED can make it look flat, so match your bulbs to the mood you want.
Most complaints about Purple Passage 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 6551 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 | Twilight DuskPMD-44 · Behr | 2.6 | 12 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Purple Valley1001-5A · Valspar | 4.5 | 10.8 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Lil' Sea Urchin243-6DB · Dutch Boy | 4.4 | 13 | Color page → |
| HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | Violet TwilightHGSW 2412 · HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | 0.0 | 12 | Color page → |
| Dunn-Edwards | Princely VioletDE5957 · Dunn-Edwards | 4.5 | 12 | Color page → |
| Hirshfield's | Grapes of Wrath1284 · Hirshfield's | 1.9 | 15 | Color page → |
Similar Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Purple Passage 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 #645E77 in HSL space. Pair Purple Passage with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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