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7 Coordinating Colors for Sherwin Williams Whirlpool (And Dupes!)

    Whirlpool is a beautiful mid-toned blue color with the slightest gray and green undertones. This murky sea-inspired blue is beautiful anywhere from exteriors to kitchen cabinets.

    Paint spill swatch of Sherwin Williams Whirlpool over a white background.

    Today we will talk all about Whirlpool’s undertones, go over coordinating color ideas, and see some dupes!

    What Are the Undertones of Sherwin Williams Whirlpool?

    Whirlpool ranges in appearance from a light robin egg blue to a mid-toned ocean blue. It can appear a little powdery gray-blue at times, but it does normally maintain the slightest green undertone.

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on a wall with lightest look on one side and the darker look on the other.

    Here is a pretty typical lighter look for Whirlpool:

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on a built in bookshelf in a room with SW Whitetail creamy white walls.
    Photo Credit: @owcustomhomebuilders

    And a slightly darker look from the same room:

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on built in cabinets in a living room with SW Whitetail walls.
    Photo Credit: @owcustomhomebuilders

    The walls in this living room are Sherwin Williams Whitetail, and the trim is High Reflective White.

    Here is a look at the whole color strip from Sherwin Williams for Whirlpool:

    The Sherwin Williams Whirlpool color strip including shades from light to dark: Sleepy Blue, Languid Blue, Meditative, Whirlpool, Refuge, Tempe Star, and Rainstorm. Background is Whirlpool in a living room with a mustard colored sofa.

    I am not all that much of a blue girly – it’s just not a color that I gravitate towards – but I am loving these murky blue grays with the whisper of underlying green!

    I have seen Whirlpool in fairly bright natural light most of the time, so I was surprised at how dark it is on paper, with an LRV of 29.

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool marked at 29 on a basic LRV chart from 100 (pure white) to 0 (true black) over a background of Whirlpool in a living room.

    The LRV (Light Reflectance Value) 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.

    At 29, Whirlpool is in the middle of the mid-tones! Most whole home paint colors have LRVs from approx 45 to 68, and most truly dark colors have LRVs of 10 or less. That creates a mid-range somewhere between 11 and 45, and Whirlpool is perfectly in there!

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool marked at 29 on an LRV chart from 100 (true white) to 0 (true black) with arrows indicating that white paint colors have LRVs of 82+, off whites 70+, whole home colors approx 48 to 69, Mid-toned colors from 11 to 47, and dark paint colors have LRVs of 10 or less. Background is a cream and blue oil painting.

    Please excuse that the chart is not proportional between light and dark colors. I’m just winging it over here.

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool in a Color Palette

    Here are the colors that I think work really well with Sherwin Williams Whirlpool:

    Sherwin Williams Likeable Sand, Tempe Star, Whitetail, and Worldly Gray arranged on paint lids in a color palette alongside Whirlpool over an abstract painting background of light blue, copper, and deep teal.

    Coordinating White Paint Color for Whirlpool

    I decided to take some inspo from Bonnie (@owcustomhomebuilders) who was kind enough to share some of her photos!

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool and Whitetail swatched together as paint dots over a background photo of Whitetail walls and Whirlpool bookshelf.
    Photo credit: @owcustomhomebuilders

    She used the creamy white of Sherwin Williams Whitetail in her whole home, and it looks great alongside Whirlpool.

    Whitetail is quite a creamy white and it doesn’t have as much gray in it as other favorite whites such as Alabaster or Pure White.

    If you like the look of this color, you will also like Benjamin Moore Simply White.

    Here is another look at the Whitetail and Whirlpool combo in a bedroom:

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on upper walls and ceiling in a bedroom with Whitetail board and batten on the lower 3/4s.
    Photo credit: @owcustomhomebuilders

    In this photo the color looks more blue, but here is one where it looks a little more green:

    Sherwin Williams Whitetail and Whirlpool in a bedroom with a loft bed.
    Photo credit: @owcustomhomebuilders

    Try Whirlpool with Sherwin Williams Tempe Star

    Sometimes monochrome is just the answer! I really love the darker shades from this color strip, such as Tempe Star, and coordinating with the lighter version Whirlpool, is kind of a foolproof way to use one!

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool paint dot swatched alongside coordinating color Tempe Star.

    You might also like Whirlpool with Sherwin Williams Endless Sea, which is a deep teal-navy.

    Neutral Paint Color to Use with Whirlpool

    If you are sick of standard grays and beiges, why not try Whirlpool with a more clay-leaning neutral such as Likeable Sand? :

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool paint dot swatched alongside coordinating color Likeable Sand

    Likeable Sand is on the same color strip as former color of the year Redend Point. It is also my pick for a Sherwin Williams dupe for the popular Farrow & Ball color Setting Plaster.

    The warm pinky-clay undertone of Likeable Sand makes it a near perfect complementary color for the slightly green-leaning blue of Whirlpool.

    For a more “traditional” neutral wall color to use with Whirlpool, I like Worldly Gray:

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool paint dot swatched alongside coordinating color Worldly Gray

    Worldly Gray is like a very light mushroom color, and it is a nice natural shade without being overly warm.

    Worldly Gray is also on my list of Best Trending Taupe Paint Colors.

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool color palette includes paint lid swatches of Likeable Sand, Tempe Star, Whitetail, Worldly Gray, and Whirlpool, over a swirling beige, coral, brown, and blue background.

    Sherwin Williams Recommends These Coordinating Colors

    If you’ve been scrolling around here before, you already know that I pick my own coordinating colors before I peak at Sherwin Williams’ picks, and this time we were fully on the same wave length!

    Sherwin Williams recommended coordinating colors for Whirlpool include Kestrel White, Velvety Chestnut, and Mountain Air. Each color is swatched on a paint lid over a background of the sky peaking through the top of a canyon.

    Pair Whirlpool and Sherwin Williams Velvety Chestnut

    I really like this recommended pairing for Whirlpool! The warm clay brown of Velvety Chestnut is very complementary to this blue hue.

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool paint dot swatched alongside coordinating color Velvety Chestnut

    I will say that Velvety Chestnut has approximately the same LRV as Whirlpool, so it wouldn’t be the best choice for a whole home color.

    For that you could select a lighter shade from the same color strip such as Doeskin or Unfussy Beige, which are actually not far off from my pick Likeable Sand.

    Or…you could try the other Sherwin Williams suggestion Kestrel White!

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool paint dot swatched alongside coordinating color Kestrel White

    Technically Kestrel White is a little too dark to even be considered an off-white, with an LRV of 68.

    This light neutral is a traditional beige without being overly warm. It does often come across as a creamy off white.

    You might also like a pick from my post: All Time Favorite Sherwin Williams Whites with a Hint of Beige

    Use Whirlpool with Mountain Air

    Mountain Air is a gray blue that is light enough to be considered an off-white.

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool paint dot swatched alongside coordinating color Mountain Air

    This color ranges in appearance from a very light silvery-gray to a light tiffany blue. This is like a lighter version of the same color range that Whirlpool gives, so that makes these two a great match!

    If you like this color, you will also like Behr Light French Gray (not to be confused with the very different Sherwin Williams color by the same name!)

    Here is another look at all of the coordinating colors from this post:

    All of the coordinating colors from the article arranged on paint lids over a swirling beige, coral, brown, and blue background.

    Whirlpool on Kitchen Cabinets

    Here is a good idea of how this color will look on kitchen cabinets:

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Whirlpool below a photo of the color on kitchen cabinets.

    Because most cabinets are finished in a higher sheen, you may find that the color reflects a little more blue in natural light than you might expect.

    In that case, Whirlpool can look more like this:

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on kitchen cabinets in a big kitchen with beams on the ceiling

    If you are here looking for a cabinet color, you might also like Sherwin Williams Foggy Day for a similar vibe:

    Sherwin Williams Foggy Day on kitchen cabinets in a large kitchen with vaulted ceilings and medium wood floors, above a swatch of the color.
    Photo by: Matthew Anderson Photography – Design: @remodelagain

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on an Exterior

    Whirlpool most often makes the short list for exteriors, so I wanted to show one of those here:

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on an exterior with creamy white trim, a landscaped garden in the front yard and a green lawn.

    Outside Whirlpool can range in appearance from quite true blue to slightly aquatic. This is a great blue for exteriors because it has all the classic appeal of blue, but with a little extra depth.

    Closer shot of Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on an exterior with creamy white trim and a lighter blue door.

    What is the Difference Between Whirlpool and Grays Harbor?

    When I was first looking at Whirlpool, I was curious how it stacks up against Sherwin Williams Grays Harbor. That is another blue with a slightly green undertone.

    Swatch of Sherwin Williams Gray's Harbor below a photo of that same teal color on kitchen cabinets.

    Turns out they are actually not that similar on paper. Grays Harbor is much darker and more gray than Whirlpool:

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on half of a wall with Grays Harbor on the other half behind a white sofa with a wood frame.

    As it turns out, I am not always the best judge of color!

    Whirlpool is a little more similar to Foggy Day (as I mentioned earlier) which is a lighter version of Grays Harbor:

    Color strip for Foggy Day which contains Misty, Samovar Silver, Uncertain Gray, Cadet, Foggy Day, Grays Harbor, and Dark Night.

    …But Foggy Day is still more gray. In terms of LRV, Whirlpool would be the most similar to Cadet on this color strip:

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on half of a wall and cadet on the other half behind a white couch.

    Whirlpool Vs Smoky Azurite

    While Cadet makes Whirlpool look bright and saturated in comparison, Sherwin Williams Smoky Azurite makes Whirlpool look more gray.

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool vs Smoky Azurite, each on half of a wall behind a wood console table and side chair with a navy blue cushion.

    In comparison to Whirlpool, Smoky Azurite is a bolder and cooler blue. It does still have a very slight green undertone compared to other blues, but it tends to stay pretty blue.

    I would class Smoky Azurite as a very useable sky blue color.

    Dupes for Sherwin Williams Whirlpool from Other Brands

    Can’t get yourself down to a Sherwin Williams store? I’ve got you! Here are some dupes for Whirlpool from other popular brands:

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool in a large paint dot with paint dot swatches of matching paint colors below. Colors are Amsterdam, Cottage Door, and Rainy Season. A dollop of foamy bubbles line the right hand side of the graphic.

    Benjamin Moore Equivalent for Whirlpool

    Benjamin Moore brings us the very closest dupe for Whirlpool with their shade Amsterdam.

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on half of a wall and Benjamin Moore version Amsterdam on the other half, behind a mustard colored sofa and some potted plants.

    On paper these two colors are virtually identical. Technically Amsterdam is a little less green and more gray than Whirlpool. On the wall I would say that it tends to look the same, or slightly more gray.

    Best Behr Color Match for Whirlpool (Home Depot)

    If you are looking to get your paint at Home Depot, Behr has a great dupe for Whirlpool with their shade Rainy Season.

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on half of a wall and Behr Rainy Season on the other half behind a gray sofa and light gray floors.

    Rainy Season is a little bit lighter than Whirlpool but otherwise the colors are virtually indistinguishable.

    Valspar (Lowe’s) Version of Whirlpool

    Over at Lowe’s the best color match for Whirlpool is the color Cottage Door.

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool on half of a wall and Cottage Door on the other half behind a white sofe with a wood frame.

    Cottage Door is darker than Whirlpool and a tiny bit cooler. It was hard to find real life examples of this color without heavy filters, but from what I saw this color is just a little more likely to look gray.

    Here is another look at all of the dupes for Whirlpool:

    Sherwin Williams Whirlpool backgroun with swatches of dupes over top. Dupes are Amsterdam, Cottage Door, and Rainy Season. A graphic of a waterfall sits in between the swatches and the background for contrast.

    Thank you so much for reading until the end! That really helps my blog.

    I hope this helped you decide if Whirlpool is the right color for your next project.

    Not quite right? I’ve got more!

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