Color guide · Valspar · Gray

Windy City

8005-12B · #CFC9C8 · LRV 59 · warm red tone

8005-12B · #CFC9C8 · LRV 59 — warm red tone, light — bounces daylight without going clinical.

Windy CityValspar · 8005-12B
The color, edge to edge.Use your own photo →
Windy City
VALSPAR · 8005-12B · #CFC9C8
Brand · codeValspar8005-12B · all Valspar grays
LRV59Light — bounces daylight without going clinical.
Undertonewarm red tone
FamilyGray
Hex · RGB · HSL#CFC9C8 · 207, 201, 200 · 9°, 7%, 80%Display values from the brand. Match it at another brand
Sheen we recommendEggshell on walls · satin on trim and cabinetsWhich sheen where, explained
Where it sits, light to dark
  1. 1Stardew43
  2. 2Quietude48
  3. 3Windy City59
  4. 4Gray Owl65
  5. 5Glass Slipper70
Undertone and depth

What Color Is Windy City, Really?

Windy City reads as a warm red tone — light — bounces daylight without going clinical. The notes below cover how Valspar 8005-12B behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.

Room by room

Best Rooms and Uses for Windy City

Windy City is an easy whole-room color for living spaces and bedrooms, and light enough to carry onto trim or a ceiling if you want a soft, seamless look. Grays like this read as a modern neutral and sit comfortably alongside both warm woods and cool metals.

Light by light

How Lighting Changes Windy City

At LRV 59, Windy City is a light color that bounces daylight around a room without tipping into stark white. Its red 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. It holds its undertone in most exposures, which is what makes light shades like this so forgiving room to room.

Test it in your light, not a showroom's

Most complaints about Windy City 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.

Upload a photoPainted in about a minuteFree, no account
Visualize in your room
Same color, different store

Need It From Another Brand?

Any paint counter can custom-tint Valspar 8005-12B 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.

Same deck, next chip over

Similar Valspar Colors

The nearest shades to Windy City within Valspar's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

Contrast, for text and signage
Black text on Windy City · 12.8 : 1 · passes AA and AAAWhite text on Windy City · 1.6 : 1 · fails for text

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 #CFC9C8 in HSL space. Pair Windy City with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#CFC9C8 + #C8CECF
TRIADIC
#CFC9C8 · #C8CFC9 · #C9C8CF
ANALOGOUS
#CFC8CB · #CFC9C8 · #CFCDC8

Have you painted with Windy City?

Rate it — one tap helps the next reader decide.

Ask a Question

Jessica Williams

Not sure about Windy City in your room?

Ask Jessica below — every question gets a real reply, usually within a day.

Keep exploring