Behr French Colony N480-4
Contentsshow +hide -
| Code: | N480-4 |
| Name: | French Colony |
| Brand: | Behr |
What color is Behr French Colony?
Behr French Colony N480-4 is a muted blue-gray with a cool cast and enough gray to keep it from reading overly blue. Its medium-light depth gives walls noticeable color while maintaining a soft, low-saturation appearance. In north-facing rooms, French Colony can look a little steelier, while warmer daylight and evening lighting may bring out its gentler gray side. It suits bedrooms, bathrooms, and home offices, especially alongside clean white trim, charcoal accents, and pale oak or ash wood. On cabinetry, this shade offers a quieter alternative to navy and pairs well with brushed nickel or matte black hardware.
Behr French Colony reviews (9 photos)
View the photos of real spaces painted with this blue that were not included in specific categories. Close-ups, painted furniture, storages and dressers, hallways, stairs and ceilings.
@salvage_made_chic
@winniechili
@winniechili
@christineharrold
@morganbrownhome
@morganbrownhome
@morganbrownhome
@gracemade.co
@gracemade.co
Try before you buy
100% accurate
reusable paint samples
Peel, stick,
and repeat
Twice painted
with real paint
Next day
delivery
What are Behr French Colony undertones?
French Colony is a mid-light, very muted blue-gray. The HEX sample has a subtle blue bias, but its low chroma turns that hue into a neutral-looking color rather than a clear blue. Warm bulbs may gray the color down, while cool daylight usually makes its blue or teal direction clearer.
HEX value:
RGB code:
144, 161, 170
Is Behr French Colony cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 201°, this Blue reads cool based on its HSL hue position.
N480-4 French Colony HSL code: 201, 13%, 62%
Hue - degree on a color wheel from 0 to 360. 0 is red, 120 is green, and 240 is blue.
Saturation is expressed as a percentage. At 0%, it appears as a shade of grey, and at 100%, it is in full color.
Lightness is also a percentage value. 0% is black, and 100% is white.
How light temperature affects French Colony
Natural Lighting. During the day, natural light shifts from about 2000 K at sunrise/sunset to 5500–6500 K at noon.
In addition, natural-light temperature depends on its direction:
| Direction of sunlight | Visible temp. | Hue | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | Cool | Bluish | All day |
| East | Warm | Yellow | Before noon |
| West | Warm | Orange-red | After noon |
| South | Warm | Orange-yellow | All day |
Artificial Lighting. When choosing bulbs, pay attention to their color temperature in Kelvins.
Use the slider to see how this Blue shade looks under different lighting:
4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Behr French Colony:
Monochromatic color scheme
This scheme consists of various shades, tints, and tones of a single color. While it offers a perfect combination of hues, without accent décor it may become monotonous.
Lighter shades
N480-4
French Colony
Darker shades
Complementary color scheme
This color scheme is a combination of two shades that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The high contrast between these colors creates a vibrant and dynamic visual effect. For the color French Colony with a green hue, complementary colors are those with a red hue close to 21, such as Behr Autumn Ashes and Piano Brown.
LRV of French Colony
French Colony has an LRV of 33.85% and refers to Medium colors that reflect a lot of light. Why LRV is important?
Light Reflectance Value measures the amount of visible and usable light that reflects from a painted surface.
Simply put, the higher the LRV of a paint color, the brighter the room you will get.
The scale goes from 0% (absolute black, absorbing all light) to 100% (pure white, reflecting all light).
Act like a pro: When choosing paint with an LRV of 33.85%, pay attention to your bulbs' brightness. Light brightness is measured in lumens. The lower the paint's LRV, the higher lumen level you need. Every square foot of room needs at least 40 lumens. That means for a 200 ft2 living room you'll need about 8000 lumens of light – e.g., eight 1000 lm bulbs.
Color codes
We have collected almost every possible color code you could ever need.
Not sure what the difference between HEX and RGB is? We break down color models in plain language. Understanding color models
| Format | Code |
|---|---|
| HEX | #90a1aa |
| RGB Decimal | 144, 161, 170 |
| RGB Percent | 56.47%, 63.14%, 66.67% |
| HSV | Hue: 201° Saturation: 15.29% Value: 66.67% |
| HSL | hsl(201, 13, 62) |
| CMYK | Cyan: 15.29 Magenta: 5.29 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 33.33 |
| YIQ | Y: 156.943 I: -13.022 Q: -0.795 |
| XYZ | X: 31.5 Y: 34.321 Z: 42.984 |
| CIE Lab | L:65.216 a:-4.056 b:-6.689 |
| CIE Luv | L:65.216 u:-9.535 v:-9.246 |
| Decimal | 9478570 |
| Hunter Lab | 58.584, -6.544, -2.494 |
Color equivalents
SW 9139
Debonair
Sherwin Williams
4008-3C
Silver Fox
Valspar US
8004-38D
Shale Blue
Valspar US
T693
Maritime Hush
Valspar US
CSP-605
Dusty Cornflower
Benjamin Moore
SW 9151
Daphne
Sherwin Williams
SW 9147
Favorite Jeans
Sherwin Williams
AF-570
Coastline
Benjamin Moore
MQ5-27
Rainy Season
Behr
N490-4
Teton Blue
Behr
V137-4
Wave Goodbye
Valspar US
P067
Copacabana
Valspar US
SW 6227
Meditative
Sherwin Williams
8004-39D
Impressionist
Valspar US
N470-4
Nor'Wester
Behr
V107-4
Cool Customer
Valspar US
SW 9152
Let it Rain
Sherwin Williams
1628
Comet
Benjamin Moore