Behr Old Amethyst MQ5-03
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| Code: | MQ5-03 |
| Name: | Old Amethyst |
| Brand: | Behr |
What color is Behr Old Amethyst?
Behr Old Amethyst MQ5-03 is a muted midtone gray with a restrained violet-blue cast that keeps it from reading flat or purely neutral. Its low saturation gives walls a softened, slightly smoky appearance, while the cool undertone becomes more noticeable in bright daylight. In warmer evening light, Old Amethyst can appear closer to a balanced charcoal-gray with a faint purple haze. It suits bedrooms, studies, and living rooms where a deeper neutral is wanted without the heaviness of near-black paint. Pair it with crisp white trim, pale oak, brushed nickel, and charcoal textiles, or use it on cabinetry for a quiet contrast against light stone countertops.
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What are Behr Old Amethyst undertones?
Old Amethyst is a midtone, very muted muted mauve. The HEX sample has a subtle purple bias, but its low chroma turns that hue into a neutral-looking color rather than a clear purple. Warm light may bring out its red or mauve side, while cool daylight can make the violet direction clearer.
HEX value:
RGB code:
135, 134, 143
Is Behr Old Amethyst cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 247°, this Purple leans cool, but it is near the neutral line and may feel warmer in certain lighting.
MQ5-03 Old Amethyst HSL code: 247, 4%, 54%
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 Old Amethyst
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 Purple shade looks under different lighting:
4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Behr Old Amethyst:
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
MQ5-03
Old Amethyst
Darker shades
MQ5-03
Old Amethyst
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 Old Amethyst with a blue hue, complementary colors are those with a orange hue close to 67, such as Behr Mossy Bank and Jungle Camouflage.
LRV of Old Amethyst
Old Amethyst has an LRV of 24.54% 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 24.54%, 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 | #87868f |
| RGB Decimal | 135, 134, 143 |
| RGB Percent | 52.94%, 52.55%, 56.08% |
| HSV | Hue: 247° Saturation: 6.29% Value: 56.08% |
| HSL | hsl(247, 4, 54) |
| CMYK | Cyan: 5.59 Magenta: 6.29 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 43.92 |
| YIQ | Y: 135.325 I: -2.296 Q: 3.012 |
| XYZ | X: 23.473 Y: 24.184 Z: 29.411 |
| CIE Lab | L:56.272 a:2.185 b:-4.677 |
| CIE Luv | L:56.272 u:0.038 v:-7.02 |
| Decimal | 8881807 |
| Hunter Lab | 49.177, -0.859, -1.034 |
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