I am not bluffing when I say that using Sherwin Williams Rosemary in your home will have people constantly begging to know the color. Instagram is proof enough of that!
One homeowner who used it on her exterior even said that joggers shout out the question as they run by.
Maybe you’re not ready for that kind of celebrity design status, but if you are, proceed in haste!
Here I will cover all the ins and outs of SW Rosemary, show you pics in real homes, and as always: Give you some stellar dupes!
What Color is Sherwin Williams Rosemary? (SW 6187)
From the chip alone, you would think that Rosemary is a deep olivey green with a good amount of gray in it.
That isn’t really what Rosemary looks like on the wall!
(You will see in just a minute.)
I would say that Rosemary is a pretty good interpretation of the actual plant. It’s roughly the color of a pine tree, but a little lighter.
LRV of Sherwin Williams Rosemary
The LRV of a color indicates on a scale of 0 – 100 how much light a color reflects (or doesn’t reflect). True black has an LRV of 0 and pure white has an LRV of 100.
In the paint world, we are working in a range of about 3 – 93 because no paint color is purely black or completely white.
The LRV of Rosemary is 14, so it is on the darker side of mid-toned colors. I find anything with an LRV of approximately 10 or less is truly dark.
What Are the Undertones of SW Rosemary
Although Rosemary doesn’t look gray at all in real life, it does have a good amount of gray in it. I find that to be the case with most colors that are real chameleons, and Rosemary is no exception.
Rosemary most often has some olive undertones, but it generally looks green without a significant amount of yellow, and zero blue.
Is Rosemary Warm or Cool
Rosemary is a warm green color, but because it has a large helping of gray, I find it tends to look pretty neutral.
It can sometimes look like a gray-green, but even then it doesn’t normally look cool. Just a nice muted green.
Sherwin Williams Rosemary Color Palette
Rosemary is pretty versatile, as are greens in general, so you have lots of options when it comes to choosing your other paint colors.
Here I made a palette of some traditional and unexpected neutrals, including Rosemary:
Complementary & Coordinating Colors
Behr Diamonds Therapy
Diamonds Therapy is a slightly creamy, slightly gray, white by Behr. It’s a nice alternative to some of the uber popular Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore shades, while still reading “white.”
Sherwin Williams Snowbound
Snowbound is a really popular Sherwin Williams white, and one of my personal favorites! It’s one of the few whites by Sherwin Williams that is warm without being super creamy.
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
Chantilly Lace is probably my all-time favorite white! It’s a green-based white, so it’s super neutral, and likes Rosemary.
I’ll show you the two together more when we talk about trim choices.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
Gray Owl is a nice light greige color that is actually in the yellow-green family. It would be a nice and less “expected” neutral to pair with Rosemary.
Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter
Of course we have to include the OG use-it-everywhere paint color: Revere Pewter.
Now Revere Pewter is sooo popular that some painters even refuse to use it (yes, actually!). It really does go with everything though. If you’re stuck, you could give it a second look.
Alternatively, you might like Sherwin Williams Jogging Path.
Sherwin Williams Cavern Clay
Cavern Clay is one of my favorite “new neutrals.” It’s a rich terracotta color that is muted and earthy enough to look natural. It pairs with an infinite amount of other colors, including Rosemary!
The official complementary color to Rosemary (meaning across the color wheel) would be a subtle clay shade.
Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog
Evergreen Fog was Sherwin Williams pick for “Color of the Year” for 2022. Compared to Rosemary, Evergreen Fog looks more sagey.
Christina from @christina_galante_design used SW Evergreen Fog on her bedroom walls and Rosemary on the trim and ceiling:
If you like this look, I’ve got some great inspo for you in my post: Color Drenching Will Make Any Space Luxurious (And It’s Easy!)
Although it’s partially from the warm light in this picture, I do think that Evergreen Fog will bring out more of Rosemary’s warmer olive tones.
Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black
Finally, Tricorn Black! I don’t know that you would want to do Rosemary and Tricorn Black together in large doses, but they work well together as accents with white or soft gray walls.
Rosemary Color Strip
For a little more context, here are the rest of the colors on the Sherwin Williams color strip with Rosemary:
This color strip is home to several very popular gray green paint colors from Sherwin Williams.
First up, the two colors you are most likely to care about:
Lighter Version of Rosemary
Sherwin Williams Dried Thyme (SW 6186) is one shade lighter than Rosemary on the same color strip.
Rosemary vs Dried Thyme
Lucky for us, Liz (@Laverne.on.owasso) swatched these for us in natural light when she was trying to choose her new exterior paint color:
If you’re wondering what shade Liz chose, she is leaning towards Dried Thyme, but still hasn’t settled on it.
Here is one more from her experiment:
You can see that Rosemary is darker but also a little richer.
Darker Version of Rosemary
Sherwin Williams Shade Grown (SW 6188) is one shade darker than Rosemary. It is a pretty luxurious green, isn’t it?
The rest of the color strip:
- Sherwin Williams Ethereal White (SW 6182)
- Sherwin Williams Conservative Gray (6183)
- Sherwin Williams Austere Gray (6184)
- Sherwin Williams Escape Gray (6185)
What Trim Colors Go With Sherwin Williams Rosemary?
My preference for a trim white with Rosemary would be to go with a true white color, such as High Reflective White (Sherwin Williams Whitest White).
For less contrast, but still a pretty true white, try Sherwin Williams Pure White. It’s a “darker” white than High Reflective, without any real undertone.
If you want to go more historical-inspired and choose a creamier white, Sherwin Williams Alabaster is a nice choice, without being yellow.
For something in between Alabaster and a totally white white, Sherwin Williams Snowbound is warmer but not really creamy.
Just for fun, if you’re feeling not brand specific, here is how Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace looks with Rosemary:
I also added Behr’s Ultra Pure White, because it is considered by many to be the brightest and whitest white paint on the market.
Rosemary With Wood Trim
Greens looove natural wood tones, so if you have wood trim in your house that you want to keep, perfect!
I couldn’t find Rosemary specifically with wood trim, but here is Rosemary in a living room, with a few different tones of wood:
Rosemary works well with each of these wood elements. It also happens to be on my list of 9 Gorgeous Wall Colors that Match Wood Trim.
Sherwin Williams Rosemary in Real Homes
Okay, now for what is always the best part: Let’s see more Rosemary in real life!
First up we have Rosemary in this home office setup:
Again, Rosemary loves all the natural tones in this scene.
Next up, a dining room:
I’ve noticed that quite a few people have opted to paint the trim in Rosemary as well, so that could be an option. To make the room even cozier, paint the ceiling in Rosemary too, like we saw in Christina’s Evergreen Fog and Rosemary bedroom earlier.
Sherwin Williams Rosemary Cabinets
Oh baby, oh baby! It’s time to talk cabinets.
Cabinets are hands down THE most popular place to use Rosemary. Even so, I wouldn’t say it’s a super common color choice, so you will still have a unique space.
This trendy little kitchen is actually in a trailer that @Ourtribeof5ive renovated!
In that first shot you can see more of the gray in Rosemary.
I’ve got a few angles, because why not?
The white they chose is Sherwin Williams Extra White.
What an amazing trailer reno!
Next up is the kitchen of Nicole from @basicbluehouse. If you love color, you will love Nicole’s house! It is anything but basic.
Again, lots of wood colors that Rosemary loves!
If you have oak cabinets that you don’t want to paint, Rosemary could look really nice in your kitchen.
Unfortunately Nicole’s white paint color is from the builder, so we don’t have a name on it. I think it looks pretty close to Sherwin Williams Snowbound.
One last kitchen (or rather island) :
With the bright outdoor light streaming in, this is about as cool-toned as Rosemary gets.
Sherwin Williams Rosemary Exterior
Rosemary is a very natural looking green with widespread appeal, so you would think it would be a popular exterior color! Unfortunately, no.
I say unfortunately because I couldn’t find a lot of inspo photos, but it’s probably good news for you! Now you can use this gorgeous shade and look like a real trendsetter.
Thankfully the team at Headwaters Painting came through!
Even the retro brick looks kind of good with Rosemary.
I think this might be my favorite exterior color that I’ve covered. It really looks good in all lights!
This homeowner stuck with white trim, but you could just as easily choose black, gray, or even certain shades of taupe.
Rosemary would also make a good trim color for a white house.
Rosemary Compared to Other Sherwin Williams Paint Colors
Sherwin Williams Rosemary vs Pewter Green
Sherwin Williams Pewter Green actually makes Rosemary look quite warm and olivey in comparison.
In real life, Pewter Green does have an almost pewter like quality to it, thanks to a good bit more gray. The LRV for Pewter Green is 12, so it’s a little darker than Rosemary, but not as dark as Shade Grown.
You can see here that Pewter Green is the equivalent shade to Rosemary on the color strip that runs from Spare White to Ripe Olive:
Sherwin Williams Rosemary vs Basil
Both are rich greens with herb-ey names, but these two aren’t too hard to tell apart.
Although Basil has a similar LRV at 15, it is more of a brighter true green and does not have the gray that Rosemary does. It is also cooler.
Sherwin Williams Rosemary vs Retreat
SW Retreat is quite a bit lighter and smokier than Rosemary, with an LRV of 21. It’s a mid toned gray green without the warmth.
Rosemary Benjamin Moore Version
Sherwin Williams Rosemary vs Benjamin Moore Vintage Vogue (462)
Vintage Vogue is the closest thing that Benjamin Moore has to Rosemary, despite having a lot of great green paint colors.
In a quick side by side of these kitchens, you can hardly tell the difference:
So what is the difference?
Vintage Vogue is a bit darker than Rosemary, with an LRV of 11.86. On paper it is not quite as warm and not quite as gray:
In real life (maybe because of the extra gray) I find that Rosemary does lean a hair cooler than Vintage Vogue.
Valspar Equivalent to Rosemary
I managed to find two Valspar equivalents for Rosemary, but one is too dark and one is too light. In terms of the actual color, they are both pretty close.
Which one you prefer would depend on your preference for lightness.
Sherwin Williams Rosemary vs Valspar Flora (5004-2C)
Valspar Flora is darker than Rosemary, with an LRV of 9.301.
That’s really the only major difference. If these two were the same LRV they would be twins.
Sherwin Williams Rosemary vs Valspar Fields of Green (5004-2B)
Valspar Fields of Green is a little warmer and ever so slightly more gray than Rosemary, but the biggest difference is that it’s a heck of a lot lighter.
The LRV of Fields of Green is 19.272.
These two colors split the difference on Rosemary’s LRV of 14.
If you want to play it safe, choose the lighter shade. Feeling bold? Choose Flora.
Rosemary Behr Equivalent (Home Depot)
Sherwin Williams Rosemary vs Behr Pastoral (PPU10-20)
Pastoral by Behr is a pretty good dupe for Rosemary! It’s a little bit darker with an LRV of 11, and just a tiny bit cooler.
All things considered, I would consider Pastoral!
Sherwin Williams Rosemary vs Behr Cypress Vine (N390-7)
Behr Cypress Vine is noticeably more olive toned than Rosemary, and less gray, but it’s still not too far off.
The LRV of Cypress Vine is 12.
Rosemary Final Moody Musings
I think I’ve sold myself on Rosemary, and I don’t have a single thing that needs painting!
Let’s recap:
- Rosemary is a mid-toned green that you can use like a neutral
- Rosemary would be great on an accent wall, an awesome exterior paint color, or even perfect for all the walls in a small to medium room
- It’s likely too dark for your whole interior, or all the walls in a very large space
- Rosemary loves wood tones and looks good with any of them
Not quite as sold on Rosemary? I have covered a LOT of greens. Here are just a few:
