Sherwin Williams Willowleaf SW 9649

Contents

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Sherwin Williams SW 9649 on kitchen cabinets (4 photos)
What are Sherwin Williams Willowleaf undertones?
Is Willowleaf SW 9649 cool or warm?
How light temperature affects on Willowleaf
Monochromatic color scheme
Complementary color scheme
Color comparison and matching
LRV of Willowleaf SW 9649
Color codes
Color equivalents

Official page:	Willowleaf SW 9649
Code:	SW 9649
Name:	Willowleaf
Brand:	Sherwin Williams
Collections:	Emerald Designer Edition - Rustic + Refined

What color is Sherwin Williams Willowleaf?

Sherwin Williams Willowleaf SW 9649 is a muted mid-tone gray with a distinct olive-green cast and a soft yellowed undertone. Its low saturation keeps the color grounded and earthy rather than overtly green, giving walls a quiet, weathered look. In bright natural light, Willowleaf can read as a gentle gray-green, while lower or cooler light brings forward its deeper mineral gray side. It suits studies, bedrooms, mudrooms, and built-in cabinetry where a subdued natural color feels appropriate. Pair it with warm white trim, aged brass, oak, linen, and charcoal accents to support its organic, slightly mossy character.

Sherwin Williams SW 9649 on kitchen cabinets (4 photos)

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

Sherwin Williams Willowleaf kitchen cabinets paint

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Sherwin Williams SW 9649 kitchen cabinets review

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What are Sherwin Williams Willowleaf undertones?

Willowleaf is a midtone, very muted khaki beige. The HEX sample has a subtle yellow bias, but its low chroma turns that hue into a neutral-looking color rather than a clear yellow. 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:

#85877B

RGB code:

133, 135, 123

Is Sherwin Williams Willowleaf cool or warm?

warm

cool

With a hue of 70°, this black leans warm, but it is close to neutral and can read cooler in some light.

SW 9649 Willowleaf HSL code: 70, 5%, 51%

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 Willowleaf

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 Willowleaf:

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

SW 9649
Willowleaf

Darker shades

SW 9649
Willowleaf

SW 7060
Attitude Gray

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 Willowleaf with a orange hue, complementary colors are those with a blue hue close to 250, such as Sherwin Williams Purple Passage and Elation.

SW 9649
Willowleaf

Compare
Sherwin Williams
Willowleaf SW 9649
to any other colors

Sherwin Williams
Willowleaf SW 9649
color equivalents

LRV of Willowleaf

Willowleaf has an LRV of 23.67% and refers to Medium colors that reflect a lot of 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 23.67%, 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	#85877b
RGB Decimal	133, 135, 123
RGB Percent	52.16%, 52.94%, 48.24%
HSV	Hue: 70° Saturation: 8.89% Value: 52.94%
HSL	hsl(70, 5, 51)
CMYK	Cyan: 1.48 Magenta: 0.0 Yellow: 8.89 Key: 47.06
YIQ	Y: 133.034 I: 2.664 Q: -4.157
XYZ	X: 21.911 Y: 23.745 Z: 22.162
CIE Lab	L:55.831 a:-3.036 b:6.2
CIE Luv	L:55.831 u:-0.503 v:8.97
Decimal	8750971
Hunter Lab	48.728, -5.011, 7.144