Sherwin Williams Silver Strand SW 7057

Gray paint colors are some of the most popular shades for interiors, and for good reason. With hundreds of gray paint colors to choose from picking the right one can feel daunting. It’s a good idea to learn more about the colors you’re considering before committing to them. Learning about their undertones and how they appear in different lighting situations is a great start. In the world of paint colors, gray is a huge range. The different paint colors can be warm or cool, they can convey moodiness or coziness and they pair well with a variety of different styles. Today, I want to talk about a gray paint color that rivals many popular shades. Sherwin Williams Silver Strand is a light gray paint color that has blue-green undertones that give it a cool feel that is perfect for bedrooms, living rooms, and more.

About Sherwin Williams Silver Strand 7057

It must be stated off the bat that Silver Strand is a chameleon color. There are a few of those in the gray category and this color is one of them. Much like the ever-popular Sherwin Williams Sea Salt, SW Silver Strand can appear gray, gray-blue, gray-green, or even blue-green. It’s a really gorgeous paint color that surely falls into the gray category but its undertones rule supreme so it appears differently in different lighting. That being said, Silver Strand is a great choice for those who want to create a light and airy space. This color does especially well in coastal-inspired homes because of its blue-green undertones. It adds a subtle amount of color to your walls while still maintaining the neutrality you expect from a gray paint color. On its own, Silver Strand isn’t exactly a light and bright paint color but with the help of natural light, it can appear that way. It is a sophisticated gray paint color that contrasts nicely with bright white trim. 

SW Silver Strand is a soft gray (with blue-green undertones) that should not be overlooked when considering a medium gray paint color. Silver Strand is a part of several Sherwin Williams collections including the Honed Vitality and Living Well – Unwind Collection. This paint color has many great features, let’s explore them and see if it will work for your specific project.

How Light or How Dark is Sherwin Williams Silver Strand?

We always want to know how a color is going to look once on the walls and to be honest with you, SW Silver Strand is quite unpredictable. It’s not a light paint color, it has some depth to it but it’s also not a dark or even medium gray I don’t think. I’ll say that it sits somewhere between light and medium and sometimes it doesn’t even look gray but we’ll get into that in just a moment.

What is the LRV?

The Light Reflectance Value or LRV of Sherwin Williams Silver Strand is 59.

LRV is a helpful tool for determining how light or dark a paint color is (100 being the whitest white and 0 being the darkest black). Keep in mind that “light” refers to Light Reflective Value, meaning the amount of light reflected. The more reflective the color, the brighter it will appear. Silver Strand is at a 59. Compared to the similar chameleon paint color Sherwin Williams Sea Salt, which has an LRV of 63, Silver Strand is a tad deeper so it reflects slightly less light than Sea Salt. 

Is Silver Strand a Warm or Cool Color?

Now we’re getting into the good stuff. Undertones are really important when selecting paint colors, especially in gray shades. Sherwin Williams Silver Strand is a cool paint color which makes sense because it has cool undertones. 

What Undertones Does Silver Strand Have?

Ah, the undertones. The most challenging part of selecting paint colors is determining how those undertones are going to read in a certain space. To understand that, you first have to understand what the paint color’s undertones are. Every paint color has undertones. Some are more subtle and some are more prominent but all of them are subjective. I think SW Silver Strand has very apparent undertones of blue and green. So much so that this color can appear a soft subtle gray, but it can also appear grayish blue, grayish green, and blueish green. Its undertones make it the color-changer that it is. This is not a traditional gray color. If you don’t like grays that lean blue or green then Silver Strand is not for you. If you are looking for a gray paint color that has some subtle color to it then this is definitely one you should consider sampling. 

It’s a really great idea to stick paint samples of your desired color in the space you’re thinking about painting and check in on it at varying times throughout the day to get a true, accurate idea of what the color is going to look like in your space. Consider using large posterboard, or a Samplize sample instead of stick samples to give yourself a more accurate idea of the color.

Silver Strand in Real Spaces

We can talk about paint colors endlessly but no words work as well as just seeing the paint color in real spaces. How does it look in a bathroom? What about on kitchen cabinets? I’m really excited about sharing Silver Strand photos here because you’ll get a chance to see how different this paint color looks in different lighting situations. Let’s dive in and see what Silver Strand looks like in real spaces!

What are some Complementary Colors to Sherwin Williams Silver Strand?

Silver Strand plays nicely with warm neutral tones like tans, taupes, browns, and even some greige colors. It can work well with some other blue-gray paint colors as well. A contrasting bright white trim will really make Silver Strand pop.

Where to Use Sherwin Williams Silver Strand Paint?

SW Silver Strand is a perfect paint color for interiors. It has a serene feel to it so it really works in spaces where you want to have a retreat-like vibe like bedrooms and bathrooms. In spaces like kitchens, dining rooms, and living rooms, it’s a nice color if you want something neutral with a subtle amount of color to it. It’s a great color for different home styles including coastal, transitional, farmhouse, and traditional. It’s gorgeous with blue accents, cream, or another neutral color. It’s even a nice exterior house color for beach homes or coastal-inspired homes.

What are Some Alternative Gray Colors to Silver Strand? 

While there really isn’t anything that comes really close to Silver Strand – there are some other colors that you could consider if you are thinking about a light subtle gray paint color.

Sherwin Williams Silver Strand vs Benjamin Moore Gray Owl

Let’s take a look at the light gray paint color, Benjamin Moore Gray Owl, and how it compares to Sherwin Williams Silver Strand. The first thing to point out is the similarity of undertones of Silver Strand and Gray Owl. Gray Owl is often called a warm gray while Silver Strand is clearly a cool gray. It’s important to note that even with the warmth Gray Owl has in a lot of natural light you will see blues pulling through. That being said, Gray Owl is a safer choice if you are looking for a neutral color while Silver Strand is the better option if you want the slightest splash of color that gives a spa-like feel.

Sherwin Williams Silver Strand vs. Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray

Another comparable gray wall color is Wickham Gray by Benjamin Moore. The green-blue undertones are similar but Wickham Gray is significantly lighter with an LRV of 67.87 while Silver Strand’s LRV is 59. These two are very similar colors but at the same time, they are different. Wickham Gray is unlikely to flash green and is more likely to look icy cool while Silver Strand is our chameleon color. Both colors look great when paired with warm(ish) white paint as a trim color like Chantilly Lace.

Sherwin Williams Silver Strand vs. Sherwin Williams Passive Gray

Moving into some grays that are light and airy but don’t necessarily have the blue-green undertones that Silver Strand has, let’s talk about Sherwin Williams Passive Gray. A cool gray, this paint color has blue and purple undertones. Purple is a common undertone in gray paint colors. In Passive Gray, it’s there but you won’t really see it. It’s the blue undertones that are the most obvious. Passive Gray does best in spaces with a lot of natural light. Little natural light can make Passive Gray flash blue. Passive Gray is lighter than Silver Strand with an LRV of 60.

Sherwin Williams Silver Strand vs. Sherwin Williams Sea Salt

 While Sherwin Williams Sea Salt isn’t a paint color, I wanted to bring it in here because it too is a chameleon paint color and it is a trendy color in a coastal color palette. Sea Salt is a muted shade of green/blue and it can look very similar to Silver Strand in the way it changes colors in different light exposure. If you like the blue/green undertones you might want to consider going in the direction of Sea Salt. If you do like this color – check out this full review of Sea Salt.

Final Thoughts on Sherwin Williams Silver Strand

To wrap up, Sherwin Williams Silver Strand is versatile! It is a serene and airy light gray with cool blue-green undertones. It is a perfect color for interiors and exterior homes, especially beach or coastal-inspired homes. Silver Strand will add brightness to dark spaces without looking washed out. Although Silver Strand isn’t your typical light gray paint color, it is a beautiful chameleon color that needs sampling to discover its perfect placement as it can look anywhere from gray to blue-green in different lighting.

If you love Silver Strand but aren’t sure if it’s the perfect light gray for your home then consider any of its alternatives – SW Crushed Ice, SW Sea Salt, or SW Dorian Gray.