Timid Blue
SW 6490 · #DFE8E4 · LRV 79 — cool green tone, very light — near-white, broadens small spaces.
- 1First Star69
- 2Classic Gray74
- 3Timid Blue79
- 4Greek Villa84
- 5Chantilly Lace91
What Color Is Timid Blue, Really?
Timid Blue reads as a cool green tone — very light — near-white, broadens small spaces. The notes below cover how Sherwin-Williams SW 6490 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Timid Blue
Timid Blue shines on ceilings, trim and in small or low-light rooms where you need to stretch the light — and as a calm whole-home backdrop. As a white, it's a natural for trim, ceilings and cabinets, and a clean backdrop for art.
How Lighting Changes Timid Blue
Timid Blue is very light — LRV 79, close to white. It opens up small or dim rooms and keeps walls feeling airy. Its green 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. In north light it can read slightly cooler; a warm white trim alongside keeps it from going clinical.
Most complaints about Timid Blue 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 6490 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 | Fresh DayPPU13-17 · Behr | 1.0 | 79 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Come Sail Away846 · Benjamin Moore | 2.0 | 80 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Alpine PeakV099-1 · Valspar | 1.4 | 78.3 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Sea PearlPPG1136-1 · PPG / Glidden | 0.4 | 79 | Color page → |
| Glidden | RainsongPPG1136-2 · Glidden | 0.7 | 79 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Beluga Gray430-1DB · Dutch Boy | 1.6 | 80 | Color page → |
Similar Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Timid Blue 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 #DFE8E4 in HSL space. Pair Timid Blue with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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