Sherwin Williams Peppercorn

Today I am sharing all the details on Sherwin Williams Peppercorn so you can decide if it’s right for your home.

This color is so gorgeous! I have a friend who used it in her dining room and she absolutely loves it! I promise if you use this color right, in the right space, you will love it as well.

What color is Sherwin Williams Peppercorn?

Peppercorn is a dark charcoal gray that isn’t quite black but it is pretty dark. What I love about it is the softness it has to it.

While it is a dark color, almost black in fact, there is a softness to the gray. If you use this color you will have a dark and moody space but it won’t feel stark or cold.

What are the undertones of Peppercorn?

Peppercorn is very close to being a true gray, but let’s be honest, there is no true gray.

peppercorn sits on the paint strip with these other colors:

• Passive
• Argos
• Gray Matters
• Tin Lizzie
• Cityscape
• Grizzle Gray

When you look at these colors you will see that many have blue undertones. Does that mean that Peppercorn has blue undertones, yes it does. They are very subtle and you won’t see them often but they are still there.

There is also just a touch of purple to Peppercorn as well. Just as with the blue undertones, you won’t see the purple come through very often as well. The color really does look like a very dark charcoal gray.

Peppercorn LRV

LRV is short for Light Reflective Value and it is a scale from 0-100 that measures the amount of light a color reflects. Zero is the darkest black and 100 is the brightest white.

Peppercorn sits at 10 which makes it a pretty dark color. This is one that you need to be careful with. Using it in a room that doesn’t have much natural light will make the room feel like a cave.

There are a lot of things you can do to prevent that which we will go into in a minute.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more details see my full disclosure.

How to know if a paint color is right for you?

The best way to judge if a color is good for you then you will want to put a swatch on the wall and look at it over a few days. Look at it in different lights and decide if you really like it.

You can do this by getting a sample from the paint store and using a brush to put it up on the walls, but then you are left with a can that you can’t do anything with. Those samples are used with poor-quality paint and aren’t meant for use on your walls permanently.

I recommend going with Samplize. They are a company that will send you a 12X12 peel-and-stick swatch of a paint color that you can stick to the wall. When you are done just peel it off and throw it away.

It’s easy and much less messy!

What colors look good with Peppercorn?

Since Peppercorn is such a dark color you want to pair it with other colors that are lighter. I really like going with whites of of whites when using a dark bold color like this.

Some other colors that look good with Peppercorn are:

• Blush Pink
• Light to Medium Gray or Greige
• Light Blues
• Green colors especially sage greens
• The lighter colors on the paint strip also are great to go with Peppercorn

What white goes well with Peppercorn?

There are a lot of whites that would go well with Peppercorn.

You can go with a brighter white like Extra White or Highly Reflective White or one that is a little softer like Pure White.

Another great option for trim is to use the wall color on it. You can use a different paint sheen so that there is some variation.

By using the same color on the trim as the walls there is no break in the color to draw your eyes. It allows the accessories in the room to be the star of the show.

Sherwin Williams Peppercorn Whole Home Color Palette

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Where to use Peppercorn in your home?

You can use Peppercorn on the walls as my friend did but if you feel like that is too much for you then try using it in one of these places:

• Bathroom or Kitchen cabinets
• An accent wall in a bedroom or family room
• Furniture
• Architectural features such as shiplap or board and batten

Peppercorn in Real Homes

Peppercorn on doors

Peppercorn looks amazing on doors and it really goes well with the brick color! The pop of the green ferns looks great with this paint color.

Peppercorn on the Exterior

I simply love homes that are painted dark colors. Peoppercorn looks amazing with the light gray stone colors as well as the wood accents.

Peppercorn on Walls

This is a great way to use a dark color in a small space without having it overpower the room. By having the white tile as wainscotting gives the proper juxtaposition to the dark charcoal color.

Peppercorn on Cabinets

This color looks amazing on cabinets especially when balanced with the other white colors in the room. It also looks good with the hardwood floors!

Peppercorn vs. Iron Ore

Iron Ore is definitely darker than Peppercorn which has an LRV of 10 (remember Iron Ore is a 6). Peppercorn has different undertones from Iron Ore too being slightly blue and purple.

I have a full comparison of Peppercorn vs Iron Ore that you can check out if you want more details on these two very popular and gorgeous colors.

Peppercorn vs. Tricorn Black

As you can see from the side by side Peppercorn is lighter than Tricorn Black. Tricorn Black is much closer to being a true black whereas Peppercorn is more of a dark charcoal gray.

That being said, there are times when Peppercorn can look more like Tricorn Black. If there is insufficient light in a room then Peppercorn will come off much darker than it really is. Lighting is very important when using these darker colors.

Peppercorn vs. Kendall Charcoal

As you can see from this side-by-side these two colors are very similar. Peppercorn is slightly darker than Kendall Charcoal but not by much.

They are both very dark charcoal grays. Benjamin Moore’s Kendall Charcoal is a touch warmer than Peppercorn but the difference is just slight.

If you are planning to paint a room yourself then you will want to check out these DIY paint posts to help you get started and not make any mistakes:

• 11 Must-Have Supplies for Painting a Room Like a Pro
• The Best Paint Brushes for Latex Paint
• The Right Way to Test Paint Samples in Your Home

Other Paint Color Posts you Might Like:

• Sherwin Williams Iron Ore
• Sherwin Williams Urban Bronze
• The Best Black Paint Colors

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