Sherwin Williams Nocturne SW 9520
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- Nocturne for bedroom (1 photo)
- Nocturne for living room (7 photos)
- Sherwin Williams Nocturne for bathroom (2 photos)
- Sherwin Williams SW 9520 on kitchen cabinets (4 photos)
- Sherwin Williams Nocturne reviews (9 photos)
- What are Sherwin Williams Nocturne undertones?
- Is Nocturne SW 9520 cool or warm?
- How light temperature affects on Nocturne
- Monochromatic color scheme
- Complementary color scheme
- Color comparison and matching
- LRV of Nocturne SW 9520
- Color codes
- Color equivalents
| Code: | SW 9520 |
| Name: | Nocturne |
| Brand: | Sherwin Williams |
| Collections: | Emerald Designer Edition - Form + Function |
What color is Sherwin Williams Nocturne?
Sherwin Williams Nocturne SW 9520 is an inky, near-black shade with a cool blue-violet cast that becomes more noticeable beside warm whites and natural wood. In bright daylight, it reads as a softened charcoal rather than a flat black, while north-facing rooms can pull out its cooler, midnight-blue character. At night, warm lamps make the color feel deeper and slightly smokier. Use Nocturne on a library, dining room walls, built-in shelving, or cabinetry when you want definition without the starkness of pure black. It pairs especially well with creamy plaster tones, aged brass, walnut, cognac leather, and pale stone surfaces.
Nocturne for bedroom
We’ve hand-picked a beautiful collection of photos of this amazing beige shade used in real bedrooms. Take a look and imagine how this wonderful warm dark paint color could transform your own bedroom space.
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Nocturne for living room (7 photos)
Check out this stunning dark color used in real living rooms. Explore how this beige shade can create a unique space
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Sherwin Williams SW 9520 for bathroom (2 photos)
Looking for inspiration for your dream bathroom renovation project? These beautiful handpicked photos will show you this delightfully warm dark beige real bathrooms.
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Sherwin Williams SW 9520 on kitchen cabinets (4 photos)
Want a stylish kitchen? View real-life photo examples of this fascinating warm beige hue is paired with backsplashes, countertops, and hardware.
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Sherwin Williams Nocturne reviews (9 photos)
View the photos of real spaces painted with this beige that were not included in specific categories. Close-ups, painted furniture, storages and dressers, hallways, stairs and ceilings.
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What are Sherwin Williams Nocturne undertones?
Nocturne is a deep, very muted earthy, slightly muddy brown. The HEX sample has a subtle yellow-orange bias, but its low chroma turns that hue into a neutral-looking color rather than a clear yellow-orange. Warm bulbs can make it look creamier or more golden, while cool daylight may mute that warmth and pull it closer to beige or greige.
HEX value:
RGB code:
84, 78, 66
Is Sherwin Williams Nocturne cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 40°, this brown leans warm, but it is close to neutral and can read cooler in some light.
SW 9520 Nocturne HSL code: 40, 12%, 29%
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 Nocturne
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 brown shade looks under different lighting:
4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Sherwin Williams Nocturne:
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
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 Nocturne with a orange hue, complementary colors are those with a blue hue close to 220, such as Sherwin Williams Sea Mariner and Starry Night.
LRV of Nocturne
Nocturne has an LRV of 7.77% and refers to Dark colors which means that this color almost does not reflect 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 7.77%, 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 | #544e42 |
| RGB Decimal | 84, 78, 66 |
| RGB Percent | 32.94%, 30.59%, 25.88% |
| HSV | Hue: 40° Saturation: 21.43% Value: 32.94% |
| HSL | hsl(40, 12, 29) |
| CMYK | Cyan: 0.0 Magenta: 7.14 Yellow: 21.43 Key: 67.06 |
| YIQ | Y: 78.426 I: 7.432 Q: -2.465 |
| XYZ | X: 7.364 Y: 7.727 Z: 6.256 |
| CIE Lab | L:33.408 a:0.188 b:8.01 |
| CIE Luv | L:33.408 u:4.141 v:9.239 |
| Decimal | 5525058 |
| Hunter Lab | 27.798, -1.36, 6.114 |
Color equivalents
RAL 7013
Brown grey
RAL Classic
2138-20
Green Grove
Benjamin Moore
CW-90
Tavern Charcoal
Benjamin Moore
SW 7055
Enduring Bronze
Sherwin Williams
2138-10
Southern Vine
Benjamin Moore
SW 7745
Muddled Basil
Sherwin Williams
N360-7
Potting Soil
Behr
SW 9515
Tungsten
Sherwin Williams
SW 2846
Roycroft Bronze Green
Sherwin Williams
1547
Dragon's Breath
Benjamin Moore
2137-20
Char Brown
Benjamin Moore
2139-20
Dakota Woods Green
Benjamin Moore
SW 7645
Thunder Gray
Sherwin Williams
SW 7048
Urbane Bronze
Sherwin Williams
RAL 7022
Umbra grey
RAL Classic
MQ6-24
Windgate Hill
Behr
2141-10
Artichoke
Benjamin Moore
2137-10
Otter Brown
Benjamin Moore
