Behr Opal Waters MQ5-50
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| Code: | MQ5-50 |
| Name: | Opal Waters |
| Brand: | Behr |
What color is Behr Opal Waters?
Behr Opal Waters MQ5-50 is a light, muted blue-gray with a distinctly cool cast and softened gray undertones. Its low saturation keeps it from reading overly icy, giving walls a clean, airy look without becoming stark. In north-facing rooms, Opal Waters may appear a little grayer and quieter, while warm afternoon light can bring out its gentle blue presence. It suits bathrooms, bedrooms, laundry rooms, and sunlit living areas where a pale, understated color is wanted. Pair it with crisp white trim, pale oak, brushed nickel, charcoal accents, or warm off-white textiles to give the cool color some contrast.
Behr Opal Waters reviews (23 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.
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What are Behr Opal Waters undertones?
Opal Waters is a mid-light, very muted pale 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:
177, 198, 209
Is Behr Opal Waters cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 201°, this Blue reads cool based on its HSL hue position.
MQ5-50 Opal Waters HSL code: 201, 26%, 76%
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 Opal Waters
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 Opal Waters:
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
MQ5-50
Opal Waters
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 Opal Waters 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 Opal Waters
Opal Waters has an LRV of 53.28% and refers to Light Medium colors that reflect half of the incident 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 53.28%, 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 | #b1c6d1 |
| RGB Decimal | 177, 198, 209 |
| RGB Percent | 69.41%, 77.65%, 81.96% |
| HSV | Hue: 201° Saturation: 15.31% Value: 81.96% |
| HSL | hsl(201, 26, 76) |
| CMYK | Cyan: 15.31 Magenta: 5.26 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 18.04 |
| YIQ | Y: 192.975 I: -16.049 Q: -1.019 |
| XYZ | X: 49.83 Y: 54.338 Z: 68.167 |
| CIE Lab | L:78.658 a:-4.839 b:-7.89 |
| CIE Luv | L:78.658 u:-11.711 v:-11.282 |
| Decimal | 11650769 |
| Hunter Lab | 73.714, -8.334, -3.229 |
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