16 Best Sherwin-Williams Exterior Paints & Color Palettes for 2026

Learn more about the best Sherwin-Williams exterior paints and color palettes, chosen by our team of professional paint color consultants. 

Every spring as paint color consultants, we get an influx of homeowners reaching out about painting their home exteriors. From Victorian and Craftsman-style homes to modern Tudors and Colonials, we’ve worked on hundreds of home exteriors and explored thousands of the best exterior hues. 

Today, we’re sharing some of the best Sherwin-Williams exterior paints we’ve worked with over the years and our favorite exterior color palettes for using each hue.

*This post contains affiliate links for products I use and love. If you click on some links and make a purchase, I will get a small commission at no cost to you. This helps pay for the costs of the blog, so I can continue to offer great content to our readers.

Sample the Best Sherwin-Williams Exterior Paints

We always recommend that you test paint colors (Article) in your home because lighting can completely change a color, both on interiors and exteriors.  

In the old days, this meant we painted a large poster board with sample pots and a huge mess. 

Now we have a better way to test paint, with Samplize Peel-and-Stick samples!  

• Samples pre-painted with 2 coats of real paint from the manufacturer.
• Large 9” x 14” samples to see the color better in the lighting.
• Delivered overnight
• Colors are accurate
• Less expensive than painting a large poster board with sample pots
• No mess, and no toxic paint to dispose of

I use these in my color consulting practice for exact results. Discover Samplize peel-and-stick paint samples and sample all your favorite pink exterior house colors via the link below.

Best Sherwin-Williams Dark Exterior Paint Colors

Dark exterior paint colors are some of our favorite hues to work with. These dark and moody colors are perfect for homeowners who want their property to stand out but also stand the test of time.

Sherwin-Williams Peppercorn

SW Peppercorn (Article) is a soft charcoal paint color that we absolutely love using for exteriors. It’s a truly neutral dark exterior paint color perfect for siding, dark trim, and exterior doors. Because this color is so neutral, it can pair with many other hues (like a colorful front door, for example).

Peppercorn has an LRV of 10, which makes it much lighter than some other black paint colors – especially in the bright sun. 

The client’s home below is located in Oregon and surrounded by gorgeous green vegetation and flowers in the warmer months. We chose Peppercorn siding to really let those natural hues shine.

Sample This Palette:

1. Sherwin-Williams Peppercorn: Siding, lattice, soffits
2. Sherwin-Williams City Loft: Trim, fascia, gutters, handrails, spindles, side doors, and garage doors 
3. Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black: Shutters, front railing
4. Sherwin-Williams Moody Blue: Front door

Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore

Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore (Article) is a soft black paint color that I absolutely love to use for exterior projects. It’s dark, but still muted, so it doesn’t look too harsh – especially in the bright sun. It’s a fantastic complement to red brick and warm or cool stone.

SW Iron Ore has subtle green undertones and an LRV of 6. Outdoors, it looks more like a dark charcoal because of the bright sunlight.

The client’s home below is a gorgeous Colorado new build in a suburban neighborhood that borders a gorgeous mountain range. The dark color palette we chose for this home sets it apart from the beautiful scenery without taking away from the view.

Sample This Palette:

1. Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore: Siding
2. Sherwin-Williams Egret White: Roofline (fascia, gutters, soffits), window trim, door trim, garage door trim, front porch ceiling, front porch soffits
3. Sherwin-Williams Intellectual Gray: Stucco, garage door
4. Sherwin-Williams Hep Green: Front door, exterior side door
5. Sherwin-Williams Brevity Brown: Solid Stain: Posts, porch beam, side corbels, fence

Sherwin-Williams Urbane Bronze

SW Urbane Bronze (Article) is an iconic warm, dark bronze color. It’s not quite a brown and not quite a black. It is exactly as its name describes: a deep bronze color.

Urbane Bronze has green undertones and an LRV of 8, which makes it a very dark paint color. When used outdoors, however, Urbane Bronze still has enough color and warmth that it won’t look black.

It pairs well with other warm colors and finishes, such as creamy white paint and warm, natural wood. 

For the client’s home pictured below, Urbane Bronze siding, gable shingles & garage door look much lighter than you’d think outside in the Colorado sunshine.

Sample This Palette:

• SW Wool Skein: Trim
• SW Urbane Bronze: Siding
• SW Marooned: Front door

Sherwin-Williams White Exterior Paint Colors

White exterior paint colors are always in vogue, but these days, homeowners are reaching for more complex versions. For exterior paints, we recommend warmer, very light beige colors that would look more like a beige or greige inside.

Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory

Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory (Article) is a light neutral paint color with soft, warm green undertones and an LRV of 63. Grecian Ivory is so warm that it’s really not a gray paint color, but it’s not quite a beige either. We would consider it a light, warm greige hue. 

Grecian Ivory is one of those gorgeous paint colors that looks almost white in the bright sunshine, but has enough pigment to not risk being washed out.

The client’s home below looks gorgeous with a Grecian Ivory stucco exterior. With a red tile roof, warm stone accents and stucco siding, it’s a very warm, earthy exterior. Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory exterior paint helps tie all of these warm elements together.

Sample This Palette:

• Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory
• Sherwin-Williams Song Thrush
• Sherwin-Williams Sealskin

Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige

Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige (Article) is a gorgeous exterior paint color option if you want a bright color palette but don’t want it to look too stark. Outdoors, Accessible Beige looks like a warm, soft white and can work on just about any style home.

With green undertones and an LRV of 58, Accessible Beige is darker than a typical white or off-white paint color. This lower LRV is a big part of what makes it ideal for exteriors. Even in the bright sun, Accessible Beige looks white but stays warm and inviting thanks to its green undertones. 

One of our favorite exterior paint projects (Article) is pictured below, pairing SW Accessible Beige, SW Tony Taupe and SW Urbane Bronze for a low-contrast color scheme.

Sample This Palette:

1. Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige: Stucco
2. Sherwin-Williams Black Fox: Metal roof, fascia, downspouts, gutters
3. Sherwin-Williams Dark Brown: Front door, columns, soffits, garage overhang ceiling, front porch ceiling, pergola, corbels

Sherwin-Williams City Loft

SW City Loft (Article) is a light, warm, greige paint color with violet undertones that looks gorgeous as an exterior “white” paint color. With an LRV of 70 and violet undertones, City Loft is cooler than a lot of the creamy white paint colors and popular beige hues on the market today.

Outdoors, City Loft can work either as a body color or as an exterior trim color. On the client’s home below, City Loft painted brick helped this home transform into a look that is evocative of a European Chateau.

Sample This Palette:

• SW City Loft: painted brick, siding
• SW Fawn Brindle: trim
• SW Black Fox: fascia, gutter, downspouts and garage door

Sherwin-Williams Oyster White

SW Oyster White (Article) is a warm, muted, very light beige paint color that is a gorgeous option as an exterior soft white paint color. With an LRV of 72 and green undertones that can lean into yellow, this hue is cozy and inviting.

Oyster White is one of my favorite Sherwin-Williams exterior paints for white exteriors with red brick or warm stone colors. It looks fabulous as a crisp white in the bright sunshine, Southern United States, California, Arizona, or high altitude Mountain states. It is soft, creamy, and fabulous in the shade or up North.

The client’s home below was originally built in 1927 in Denver and has a Tudor-like design style. We painted the brick and siding with Oyster White to align with the warm stone – a beautiful palette!

Sample This Palette:

• Sherwin-Williams Oyster White: Brick, siding
• Sherwin-Williams Portico: Tudor-style trim
• Sherwin-Williams Sealskin: fascia, soffits

Sherwin-Williams Green Exterior Paint Colors

Green paint colors are an increasingly popular choice for both indoor and outdoor paint projects. These hues are some of our favorite green Sherwin-Williams exterior paints.

Sherwin-Williams Rosemary

Sherwin-Williams Rosemary (Article) is a gorgeous, moody green paint color (Article) that I absolutely love to use for exterior projects. Rosemary has an LRV of 14 and subtle yellow undertones that keep it warm and beautiful.

Outdoors, Rosemary paint is a gorgeous sage green perfect for Victorian exterior color palettes (Article) and other historic homes.

The house we’re featuring in today’s post is one of my favorite exterior projects ever as a paint color consultant. This house was built in 1906 in one of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods. 

We used Rosemary on the home’s siding, brick and all of the different styles of shingles on the exterior. This simplified the look of the home, which only made it that much more beautiful.

Sample This Palette:

1. Sherwin-Williams Rosemary: Inner square, stair risers, foundation siding, shingles, brick body (including quoins)
2. Sherwin-Williams Black Magic: Fascia, soffits, gutters, downspouts, flashing, trim, inner window trim, vents, outer square, crown moulding, beveled moulding, corbels, porch surrounding beam, columns, column caps and bases, column rings, garage door and trim.
3. Sherwin-Williams Fawn Brindle: Porch ceiling
4. Sherwin-Williams Fairfax Brown: Porch floor, stair treads, front door

Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green

SW Pewter Green is a warm, muted green paint color that looks soft and lovely in bright sunshine. With an LRV of 12, it’s a dark hue, but it still has enough color to not look black – especially outside.

Pewter Green looks gorgeous with other warm paint colors and finishes, such as warm stone or red brick. The client’s Colrado brick home pictured below, for example, had muted red brick and a lovely green roof. SW Pewter trim tied the whole palette together.

Sample This Palette:

• Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green: trim, front door
• Sherwin-Williams Greenblack: storm door, railings

Sherwin-Williams Blue Exterior Paint Colors

Blue exterior paint colors are classic and timeless, but still bold enough to stand out. Here are some of our favorite blue Sherwin-Williams exterior paints.

Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace

Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace (Sample) is a dark, earthy blue that is incredibly neutral. It has an LRV of 6 and doesn’t lean overly warm or cold, even in the bright sun.

Cyberspace can be a beautiful color for exterior siding or even a front door. For the right house, we also like to use it for dark exterior trim.

The Tudor-style home pictured below is in one of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods. Our clients wanted to keep the classic style of their home while also modernizing it. Painting the traditionally brown timbers with SW Cyberspace transformed the property.

Sample This Palette:

• Sherwin-Williams Cyberspace: Timbers, trim 
• Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige: Stucco

Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent

Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent (Article) is a dark, muted blue-green paint color that we love to pair with red brick or warm stone colors. 

With an LRV of 7, I think of this as a navy blue with slight green undertones. It looks much more colorful outside than inside.

On the client’s home below, Sea Serpent siding looks gorgeous alongside red brick.

Sample This Palette:

• SW Sea Serpent: Siding
• SW Egret White: Trim, soffits, fascia
• SW Stolen Kiss: Front door

Sherwin-Williams Seaworthy

Sherwin-Williams Seaworthy (Article) is a warm, dark teal that looks gorgeous and colorful in the sunshine. It’s a really flexible color and looks great with red brick, warm stone, or cool stone.

Seaworthy has an LRV of 7, which makes it a very dark teal. It leans more toward blue than green, so it’s cooler than some other blue-green hues.

If you want a dark exterior that’s still bright and colorful, Seaworthy could be the perfect fit. On the client’s home below, for example, you can see how it looks in both the sun and the shade.

Sample This Palette:

• Seaworthy: Siding
• Grecian Ivory: Trim
• Tricorn Black: Front door

Sherwin-Williams Gray Exterior Paint Colors

Grays may not be the most popular paint colors for interiors these days, but they’re still holding strong in exterior color palettes. Here are some of our favorite gray Sherwin-Williams exterior paints.

SW Dorian Gray 

SW Dorian Gray (Article) is a violet-gray paint color. With an LRV of THIS, it has enough pigment that it won’t look washed out in the bright sunlight but also doesn’t overpower a home. 

And because it’s a warm paint color, it coordinates well with many of the taupes, greens and warm blues that are so popular today.

The client’s home pictured below features a SW Dorian Gray palette with pops of taupe and earthy blue, bringing the home’s stone finishes to life!

Sample This Palette:

1. Sherwin-Williams Dorian Gray: Stucco
2. Sherwin-Williams Modern Gray: Roofline (fascia, gutters, soffits, front porch ceiling, window trim, door trim, garage door trim, gable trim, beams/corbels
3. Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent: Gable board-and-batten, garage doors
4. Sherwin-Williams Sundried Tomato: Front door

Sherwin-Williams Anonymous

“Anonymous” is really the perfect name for this hue. If you were to ask someone what color it is, you’d likely get a few different answers. Some would probably say it’s a gray color. Others would probably say it’s brown. A lot of people call it a taupe. You might even get a few people saying it’s a green paint color.

As a professional paint color consultant, I’d call it a dark greige with strong green undertones. It is a very neutral color and super, super earthy. 

I love using Anonymous exterior paint because it looks so different in different lighting. It can look more like a warm taupe in sunny areas and a dark gray in shady areas. It’s also flexible enough to complement different kinds of brick and stone and work with many other types of hard finishes (like a roof, decking, natural wood elements and more).

The client’s home below, originally built in 1917, is a renovated Denver Craftsman bungalow that features both red brick and buff brick. SW Anonymous complements both.

Sample This Palette:

1. Sherwin-Williams Anonymous: Siding
2. Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground: Soffits, fascia, gutters, downspouts and trim
3. Sherwin-Williams Sommelier: Garage door and window frames
4. Sherwin-Williams Pine Cone: Wooden corbels

Sherwin-Williams Red and Pink Exterior Paint Colors

Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red

SW Rustic Red (Article) is a dark, muted red paint color that almost looks brown. The LRV of Rustic Red (Article) is 6, which makes it a very dark paint color. 

Rustic Red’s low LRV is important because paint looks much more colorful outside than inside, so a darker hue ensures it won’t look harsh or overly bright. 

The client’s home below is a small antique jewel in a coastal New England neighborhood. The Rustic Red palette gave new life to this historic home.

Sample This Palette:

1. Sherwin-Williams Rustic Red: Siding
2. Sherwin-Williams Roycroft Pewter: Trim
3. Sherwin-Williams Black Magic: Front Door

Sherwin-Williams Abalone Shell

Sherwin-Williams Abalone Shell (Sample) is one of our favorite pink exterior paint colors. It’s a light, but very warm pink that looks beautiful both in the warmer light at the end of the day and the cooler light of the morning.

On the home below, Abalone Shell looks almost peachy, with extra warmth reflecting off the pavers.

Sample This Palette:

• Sherwin-Williams Abalone Shell: Stucco body, trim around front door and sidelights
• Sherwin-Williams Pearly White: Fascia, soffits, gutters, trim, stucco trim, paintable window frames, side
• Benjamin Moore Hale Navy: Front door

Key Learning Points

Exterior paint colors are a very personal choice, but seeing hues on real homes can help make the decision easier. When choosing Sherwin-Williams exterior paints, remember these tips:

• Dark and moody exterior paints can help a home stand out while still being timeless. Consider SW Peppercorn, Iron Ore or Urbane Bronze.
• Lighter exterior hues are truly classic. For a “white” exterior look, consider very light beige and greige paints instead, such as SW City Loft or Grecian Ivory. For grays, colors like SW Anonymous or Dorian Gray offer more pigment without being too dark.
• Colorful exterior paints continue to be popular, especially blues and greens. SW Rosemary, SW Cyberspace and SW Seaworthy are all beautiful options. For something completely different, try SW Rustic Red.

Remember: NEVER, EVER use paint matches from a different brand than the one specified. Results are poor and there are no standards for the sheens.  Even though your painter may truly believe it can be done, don’t do it. See results from paint matching here.

No matter what, always test your paint colors. It’s a standard best practice.  Whenever I test my paint colors, they are perfect, and when I don’t test they turn out wrong. Learn how to test your paint colors here.

Online Color Consulting

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Related Posts:

• Sherwin-Williams Rosemary Exterior
• Sherwin-Williams City Loft Exterior
• Modern Tudor Exterior Color Palette
• Sherwin-Williams Peppercorn Exterior
• Best Exterior “White” Paint Colors
• Best Dark Exterior Trim Colors

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Michelle Marceny, founder, owner, and Principal Color Designer at The Color Concierge. I believe a fresh coat of paint can completely transform a space. The Color Concierge was born out of my drive to help clients fall back in love with their homes. My clients trust me to help them find the perfect paint color for their home – whether it’s a whole-house paint color scheme or ideas for a single room. 

Since The Color Concierge was founded in 2017, we have completed over 3000 color consultations, both online and in-person.  I am a Certified Color Expert with 7 years of experience creating interior and exterior color palettes throughout North America.

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We love your comments! Please note that the blog is meant as general advice, and it is not possible to give out specific answers to your paint questions. If you want more specific advice, please consider purchasing a color consultation. Thank you for your understanding.