Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze is a gorgeous paint color and was the 2021 paint color of the year for Sherwin Williams! It’s a darker, bold paint color that is very on-trend.
I absolutely love this color! I have used it in my own home on my exterior doors. It matches the metal trim around my windows perfectly and looks amazing with my siding color. I can’t recommend this color enough.
It completely makes sense that Urban Bronze would be the paint color of the year. It’s a gorgeous bold color that can be used almost anywhere!
Today we are going to explore all the details on why this is such a fabulous color.
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What color is Urbane Bronze? Is it Gray or Brown?
Here is another quote from Sherwin Williams:
As in nature, Urbane Bronze SW 7048 (245-C7) is at its best when balanced with its environs. “Layering texture and tone is key,” says Sherwin-Williams Director of Color Marketing Sue Wadden.
Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams says it best that it’s an earthy paint color. It has the feel of nature and when used inside your home can bring the outdoors in.
When used on the exterior it balances with other natural elements wonderfully!
It is a dark gray with tons of brown in it. This color is grayish-brown and considered a dark greige.
Believe it or not this color is actually considered a natural! I know, but it’s so dark. Because it pairs so well with other colors and it’s so earthy, it makes a great backdrop to other design elements.
Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze Undertones
Urbane Bronze is a gray paint color with brown undertones. Actually, the browns are more of a bronzy tone, hence the name Urbane Bronze.
It’s on the same paint color trip as Worldly Gray and Amazing Gray which are both gorgeous greige paint colors.
What is the LRV of Urbane Bronze?
LRV stands for Light Reflective Value. It’s a scale from 0-100 that measures the amount of light a paint color reflects. Zero being the darkest black and 100 being the brightest white.
Urbane Bronze has an LRV of 8 which makes it really dark. You have to be careful where you use this color because in some situations it can turn a room into a cave.
Is it warm or cool?
Because of the brown undertones and the fact that it is a greige paint color this color is definitely warm. It’s a dark warm gray that will show a lot of personality while warming up a space.
How Light Affects Urbane Bronze.
Lighting affects Urbane Bronze is gorgeous ways. Here are some details on natural light.
- North-facing rooms have a light that tends to be a little cooler in nature and will come off slightly blue. Light colors will be a bit more muted or washed out while darker colors will be stunning.
- East-facing rooms will have brighter light in the morning and less in the evenings. The evening light will be a bit cooler. In the morning with sunrise, the bright sun will be warm. Warm color palettes are great for these spaces because they will help balance the cool feel of the evenings.
- South-facing rooms have consistent warm light throughout the day. The light really shows off the colors, dark will be very bright, and light colors will shine. Both warm and cool color palettes look good in a south-facing room.
- West-facing rooms have warm light in the evening and cooler light in the morning. Basically, it’s the opposite of east-facing.
What does this mean for Urbane Bronze? Well when you look at it from in a north-facing room you will see it as more gray because of the bluish light.
From a south-facing room it’s going to really warm up and look much more brown. I think this color looks it’s best in east and west-facing rooms because you will get a nice balance of the grays and browns.
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 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!
Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze Whole Home Color Palette
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Where can I use Urbane Bronze?
You can use Urbane Bronze anywhere. Personally, I used it on my front door, it blended really well with the trim colors on my windows.
I have seen it used on exteriors, cabinetry, as well as interior walls. If you are looking for a dark and moody look for a room this would be a perfect color to try.
Dark exteriors are very trendy right now too. I think having dark siding is a gorgeous look and Urbane Bronze is a great choice!
Here are some popular places to use this color:
- Accent Walls
- Dining Rooms
- Bedrooms
- Wainscotting
- Cabinets
- Exteriors
- Shiplap
- Furniture
Real-life examples of Urbane Bronze.
Urbane Bronze on the Exterior
Brick and Batten has a gorgeous home and used Urbane Bronze on the exterior. I love how well it looks with the black shutters and roof. It also goes really well with the grays in the stone steps and greens in the landscaping.
You will notice that it doesn’t look as dark in the bright light of day. But when used inside the home it looks much darker.
Another photo where Urbane Bronze is used on the exterior. If you love the cabin look or have a cabin in the woods then this is the perfect color for you to use!
Urbane Bronze on Front Doors
A great place to use dark colors on the exterior besides the siding is trim, doors, and shutters. I used it on my front door and here are a few photos of it in different seasons with different wreaths.
As you can see the photo that is a close-up makes my door look much darker because I am standing on my covered porch. The other photos that are further away the door looks much lighter because I am allowing more natural light to get in between.
Urbane Bronze on Furniture
Vintage Revivals did an amazing job flipping this dresser. It’s simply gorgeous in Urbane Bronze and really pops with the white wall background and white tile floors.
Urbane Bronze on Accent Walls
Dark and moody bedrooms are very on-trend right now and Urbane Bronze is a great choice to use. I just love how well it pairs with the light wood tones and neutral fabrics. They all go really well together.
Urbane Bronze on Architectural Features
Using Urbane Bronze as an accent color is a great choice! This fireplace is definitely the star of the show and that’s all because of this amazing color. And notice how well it goes with the gray wood tones in the mantel!
What colors go well with Urbane Bronze?
According to Sherwin Williams “shades of beige, parchment, mushroom and ochre comfortable contrast with” Urban Bronze. Modern Gray and Messanger Bag are two they recommend pairing with Urbane Bronze.
While Urbane Bronze is a bold and saturated color it pairs really well with other colors and can be used whenever and wherever. You can pair it with other neutrals or bring in some color.
Green paint colors go really well with this color. Other greiges do as well both medium and light. Other gray paint colors will work too especially if they have green undertones.
Lighter wood tones are a great contrast to the dark color of Urbane Bronze. Darker woods coordinate well but the contrast of lighter ones really makes a statement.
Wrought iron, as well as golds, are really good choices for metals in hardware to be used with Urbane Bronze.
What white paint color goes well with Urbane Bronze?
The best whites to use with Urbane Bronze are Extra White and Shoji White.
Extra White is a bright white paint color with neutral undertones. It’s a great color to use on trim and ceilings which will make Urbane Bronze stand out.
Shoji White is a creamy color that is a cross between cream and greige which makes it a great choice for Urbane Bronze.
Color Comparisons
There are a ton of dark, almost black, paint colors out there. Let’s look at how Urbane Bronze compares to them.
Urbane Bronze vs Iron Ore
There are some cases where Iron Ore can look a lot like Urbane Bronze but as you can see here they are pretty different.
- Urbane Bronze has brown undertones
- Iron Ore is a dark charcoal with blue undertones
- Urbane Bronze has an LRV of 8
- Iron Ore has an LRV of 6
- Iron Ore is a slightly darker color
Urbane Bronze vs Black Fox
Black Fox isn’t one of Urbane Bronze’s more popular colors but maybe it should be!
- Urbane Bronze has an LRV of 8
- Black Fox has an LRV of 7
- Black Fox is slightly darker
- Black Fox is a dark grown with gray undertones
- Urbane Bronze is a dark gray with brown undertones
- Black Fox is slightly warmer
Urbane Bronze vs Thunder Gray
No, I did not put the same colors side by side, but it looks like it right!? These colors have more similar than different as you can clearly see.
- Urbane Bronze has an LRV of 8
- Thunder Gray has an LRV of 9
- Thunder Gray is slightly brighter
- Thunder Gray is slightly cooler
- They are nearly identical
Urbane Bronze vs Forged Steel
These two are also similar but they do have some subtle differences.
- Urbane Bronze has an LRV of 8
- Forged Steel has an LRV of 10
- Forged Steel is slightly lighter than Urbane Bronze
- Forged Steel is a new color for Sherwin Williams
- Urbane Bronze is a greige
- Forged Stell is all gray
Urbane Bronze vs Peppercorn
Peppercorn is a lot like Iron Ore but not totally. Here is how it stacks up next to Urbane Bronze.
- Urbane Bronze has an LRV of 8
- Peppercorn has an LRV of 10
- Both are considered natural colors
- Urbane Bronze is a greige color
- Urbane Bronze is a warm color
- Peppercorn sits right between being cool and warm
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Urbane Bronze a good color for siding or trim?
Heck yes! As you know by now I used it on my exterior with great success! I plan to incorporate more Urbane Bronze into my garage makeover I have planned this spring.
Is Urbane Bronze a popular shade of greige?
It is very popular for those who are looking for a dark greige. If you want a light or mid-toned you need to look at others.
Is Urbane Bronze good on kitchen cabinets?
Dark cabinets that are painted are so gorgeous! This color would be a great choice for cabinetry and can really pop with walls painted a light greige.
What is the Benjamin Moore equivalent to Urbane Bronze?
There are no exact matches between paint manufacturers. However, some colors are very similar.
When it comes to comparing Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze to a Benjamin Moore color I would take a look at Dragon’s Breath.
Recap
We went through a lot of information today so let’s do a quick recap:
- Is considered a neutral
- Belongs to a ton of color families
- A dark gray color with brown undertones
- Has an LRV of 8
- Is a warm paint color
- Looks great on accent walls, exterior, cabinetry, as well as architectural elements
- Pairs nicely with other mid-light greiges, grays with green undertones and warm whites
- Best white trim is Extra White or Shoji White
Final Thoughts
Urbane Bronze is a gorgeous warm-toned color that goes really well with other colors and wood tones. You can use this color on just about any surface and it will look good. I have it on my front door and plan to use it on my garage door (as soon as the weather warms up enough to paint).
You can’t go wrong with Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze.
Other Paint Colors You Might Be Interested in:
- Sherwin Williams Repose Gray Paint Color Review
- Benjamin Moore Soot
- Sherwin Williams Alpaca: Paint Color Review
- Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray: Is it right for you?
- Sherwin Williams Network Gray
- The 12 Best Green Paint Colors for Your Home
- The Best Black Paint Colors for Any Room in Your Home
As a licensed Real Estate Agent and an avid home decorator, I strive to give my clients the very best I can when it comes to staging, selling, and decorating their homes. I have lots of experience with paint color choices and love to DIY my home so I can have everything just the way I want it. I share my ideas and projects with the world in the hopes that I can help others have their homes just the way they want as well.