Sherwin Williams Bohemian Black SW 6988

Contents

show +hide -

Bohemian Black for bedroom (4 photos)
Sherwin Williams SW 6988 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)
Bohemian Black for exterior (1 photo)
Sherwin Williams Bohemian Black reviews (6 photos)
What are Sherwin Williams Bohemian Black undertones?
Is Bohemian Black SW 6988 cool or warm?
How light temperature affects on Bohemian Black
Complementary color scheme
Color comparison and matching
LRV of Bohemian Black SW 6988
Color codes
Color equivalents

Official page:	Bohemian Black SW 6988
Code:	SW 6988
Name:	Bohemian Black
Brand:	Sherwin Williams
Collections:	Artistically Bright

What color is Sherwin Williams Bohemian Black?

Sherwin Williams Bohemian Black SW 6988 is a deeply muted charcoal with a faint plum-gray cast visible beneath its near-black depth. The low saturation keeps it from reading overtly purple, but that slight cool violet influence can become more noticeable in clear daylight or alongside warm whites. In dim rooms, Bohemian Black settles into an inky, softened black rather than a stark true black. It makes a strong choice for interior doors, built-in cabinetry, fireplace surrounds, or a small dining room where a dark envelope feels intentional. Pair it with creamy off-whites, weathered oak, aged brass, or pale gray stone to bring out its complex charcoal character.

Bohemian Black for bedroom (4 photos)

We’ve hand-picked a beautiful collection of photos of this amazing grey shade used in real bedrooms. Take a look and imagine how this wonderful warm dark paint color could transform your own bedroom space.

@kbcwalk

@the_little_vintage_studio_

@jenobobeno

Sherwin Williams SW 6988 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)

Want a stylish kitchen? View real-life photo examples of this fascinating warm grey hue is paired with backsplashes, countertops, and hardware.

@tangerine6

@tangerine6

Bohemian Black for exterior

Looking for a fresh new look for your house exterior or starting from skretch? We’ve collected pictures of real-life homes that have been painted with this warm grey hue. Find inspiration for your house’s exterior, front doors, gates, shutters, frames or windows.

@missspeakeasy

Sherwin Williams Bohemian Black reviews (6 photos)

View the photos of real spaces painted with this grey that were not included in specific categories. Close-ups, painted furniture, storages and dressers, hallways, stairs and ceilings.

@kristinasodanohome

@innovatusdesign

Sherwin Williams Bohemian Black Living Room

@jordie_pop

@theblackbarndesigns

@mikeys_wrkshp

@reaglelivinghomesinmaryland

Try before you buy

100% accurate
reusable paint samples

Peel, stick,
and repeat

Twice painted
with real paint

Next day
delivery

Shop now

What are Sherwin Williams Bohemian Black undertones?

Bohemian Black is a deep, near-neutral near-black. Its chroma is so low that assigning a specific hue-based undertone would be misleading. Because it is close to neutral, nearby surfaces and the color of the light can noticeably change how warm or cool it appears.

HEX value:

#3B373C

RGB code:

59, 55, 60

Is Sherwin Williams Bohemian Black cool or warm?

warm

cool

With a hue of 288°, this black leans warm, but it is close to neutral and can read cooler in some light.

SW 6988 Bohemian Black HSL code: 288, 4%, 23%

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 Bohemian Black

Natural Lighting. During the day, natural light shifts from about 2000 K at sunrise/sunset to 5500–6500 K at noon.

Sunrise

Morning

Noon

Afternoon

Sunset

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 black shade looks under different lighting:

4000K

2000K

3000K

4000K

5000K

6000K

7000K

Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Sherwin Williams Bohemian Black:

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 Bohemian Black with a purple hue, complementary colors are those with a yellow hue close to 108, such as Sherwin Williams Pine Frost and Vogue Green.

SW 6988
Bohemian Black

Compare
Sherwin Williams
Bohemian Black SW 6988
to any other colors

Sherwin Williams
Bohemian Black SW 6988
color equivalents

LRV of Bohemian Black

Bohemian Black has an LRV of 4.03% and refers to Dark colors which means that this color almost does not reflect light. Why LRV is important?

Light Reflectance Value scale illustration

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 4.03%, 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	#3b373c
RGB Decimal	59, 55, 60
RGB Percent	23.14%, 21.57%, 23.53%
HSV	Hue: 288° Saturation: 8.33% Value: 23.53%
HSL	hsl(288, 4, 23)
CMYK	Cyan: 1.67 Magenta: 8.33 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 76.47
YIQ	Y: 56.766 I: 0.777 Q: 2.402
XYZ	X: 3.985 Y: 3.988 Z: 4.834
CIE Lab	L:23.633 a:2.871 b:-2.483
CIE Luv	L:23.633 u:1.756 v:-3.063
Decimal	3880764
Hunter Lab	19.971, 0.67, -0.37