Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory Color Review

Learn all about Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory (SW 7541) in this paint color review.

Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory is a light neutral paint color that can work in both brightly lit or low-light rooms. It will appear lighter and airier in rooms with abundant natural light. In darker rooms, it will seem cooler and lean more into greige. It has soft, warm green undertones that help it pair well with just about any light.

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. It’s perfect for bridging the gap between cool and warm.

Wondering if SW Grecian Ivory is right for your next project? Keep reading for our full paint color consultant review and explore real-world photos of Grecian Ivory paint in action.

*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.

What Color is SW Grecian Ivory?

Grecian Ivory by Sherwin-Williams (Sample) is a light neutral paint color (Article) perfect for interior and exterior projects. It’s a very warm, greige hue (Article) and very similar to Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray (Article).

What is the SW Grecian Ivory LRV?

The LRV of Grecian Ivory is 63. LRV, or Light Reflectance Value, is a number from 0 to 100 that measures how much light a paint color reflects or absorbs. A value of 0 means it’s pure black, which absorbs all light, while 100 means it’s pure white, which reflects all light. Most paint colors fall somewhere in between. 

For Grecian Ivory, its LRV means that it’s light enough to make a space light and bright – especially when used outdoors – but also be clearly darker than a white paint color. 

Is Grecian Ivory warm or cool?

Grecian Ivory is definitely a warm paint color. It’s not quite a beige color, but has many of the warm tones of a beige paint color. Because it is so muted, we’d classify this as a very warm greige hue.

What are the Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory undertones?

Grecian Ivory has warm green undertones, which give the color its cozy, inviting feel. It’s often hard to see the undertones in gray and greige paint colors until you compare them to similar hues with different undertones. You can clearly see the undertones of the gray paint colors in the graphic below.

Sample SW Grecian Ivory

We always recommend that you test paint colors on your home because lighting can change a color completely, both with interiors as well as 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:

Using SW Grecian Ivory Interior Paint

NOTE: Scroll down for more information about the Grecian Ivory Exterior Project Spotlight.

We don’t have photos of Grecian Ivory interior paint from client projects, but we do have lots of photos of Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray (Article), which is a very close alternative. In the sections below, we’re using Edgecomb Gray photos to help you visualize how you could use SW Grecian Ivory paint in your home.

Is SW Grecian Ivory a good whole-house paint color?

It could be! Grecian Ivory is light enough that it wouldn’t feel overwhelming across multiple rooms in a whole-house color palette or when used in a large, open-concept space. As long as Grecian Ivory works with your furniture, decor and hard finishes, it would be a beautiful whole-house paint color (Article).

Should I try a Grecian Ivory living room?

Grecian Ivory is a fantastic paint color for living rooms and open-concept living spaces. It’s warm and cozy but still bright. It’s a great option if you don’t want to paint your living area white but still want it to feel light and airy.

Is a Grecian Ivory kitchen a good idea?

Grecian Ivory walls would look beautiful in a white kitchen, especially if you used a warm white cabinet color (Article) such as Sherwin-Williams Pure White (Article) or even Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (Article).

One of our favorite applications for Grecian Ivory paint, however, is as a cabinet color itself. The photo below shows a client’s kitchen with BM Edgecomb Gray cabinets. Grecian Ivory cabinets would look very similar.

Can I paint a SW Grecian Ivory bedroom?

Absolutely! Grecian Ivory walls would make a bedroom feel cozy and inviting without feeling heavy or dark. This would be a lovely, calming bedroom paint color (Article) that would pair well with many different types of flooring, decor and bedroom color schemes.

The photo below shows a client’s bedroom painted with BM Edgecomb Gray paint. A Grecian Ivory bedroom would look nearly identical.

What are the Best Interior Trim and Ceiling Colors For Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory? 

Choose a warm white trim color for Grecian Ivory walls when possible. Because this color is so warm, a very cool white trim and ceiling color might look too stark. Sherwin-Williams Pure White or Sherwin-Williams White Snow are my top pick for trim and ceilings with Grecian Ivory walls, but you could even work with SW Extra White if your home already had this popular trim color and you weren’t prepared to change it. SW Greek Villa and SW Alabaster could also work as a lower contrast white trim color.

Project Spotlight: Using SW Grecian Ivory Exterior Paint

One of our favorite applications for Grecian Ivory paint – and the most recent way we’ve used this paint color with our clients – is as exterior paint. 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 was a very unique project. This Arkansas home is a large, gorgeous property with many unique architectural features. 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.

This new, lighter palette works much better with the exterior finishes than the home’s original yellow exterior paint, pictured below.

Keep reading to explore this home’s Grecian Ivory color palette in more detail.

Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory Siding

Our client really hated their home’s original yellow exterior, which looked over-the-top and too warm with the home’s stone and red tile roof. The white trim also looked too stark for the palette, and didn’t pair well with the earthy had surfaces. Grecian Ivory looks much more elegant and so very pretty with the home’s muted stone.

Sherwin-Williams Song Thrush Trim

We paired the lighter stucco siding with warm, mid-tone beige trim painted with Sherwin-Williams Song Thrush (Samplize). Using a darker exterior trim (Article) color helped the home’s unique windows pop within the palette and tied in nicely with the tile roof and warm stone.

Sherwin-Williams Sealskin Exterior Doors

The home already had SW Sealskin (Samplize) garage doors and a Sealskin front door. This color – a warm, very dark brown bordering on black – was the perfect bold but neutral pop to bring the whole palette together.

The colors on this home really change throughout the day, but it looks gorgeous and earthy in every light. In the photo below, for example, the home looks so warm and inviting in the late afternoon “golden hour.”

Can you use Grecian Ivory as an Exterior White Paint Color?

Grecian Ivory is also a great color for a soft and warm exterior white trim. In the photo below, Grecian Ivory is used as a trim, shutter, and front door color for a beautiful, clean look with SW Rustic Red. Although this color is on the darker side for a “white” trim, it works very well if you have a ton of sun and when paired with darker siding colors.

Sample This SW Grecian Ivory Exterior Color Palette

Use the links below to sample the full Grecian Ivory exterior color scheme:

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

Best Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory Alternatives

Not sure if SW Grecian Ivory is right for your project? Explore the color comparisons below to see how it compares to other popular warm greige paint colors.

SW Grecian Ivory vs BM Edgecomb Gray

Grecian Ivory and Edgecomb Gray (Article) are very similar. Edgecomb is definitely the closest Benjamin Moore match for Grecian Ivory. They have the same LRV and similar green undertones. The only difference is that Grecian Ivory looks slightly greener and more muted than Edgecomb. The two colors will look nearly identical in place.

SW Grecian Ivory vs SW Agreeable Gray

Grecian Ivory is lighter, crisper, and cleaner than Agreeable Gray (Article). It has similar green undertones, but without the fleshy tones of Agreeable Gray.

SW Grecian Ivory vs SW Accolade

Sherwin-Williams Accolade (Sample) is very similar to Grecian Ivory, but Grecian Ivory is a bit warmer and cleaner than Accolade. Accolade is just barely lighter, with an LRV of 62.

SW Grecian Ivory vs BM Manchester Tan

Grecian Ivory and Manchester Tan (Article) have the same undertones and a very similar LRV. The difference is that Manchester Tan is more beige and Grecian Ivory is a bit grayer.

Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory Pros and Cons

Pros:

• A great choice for updating homes with earthy Tuscan finishes
• Versatile neutral with enough pigment to work in bright and low-light rooms
• Wonderful option for open-concept living areas

Cons:

• Doesn’t work with darker off-white or cream trim colors, which don’t have enough contrast
• Won’t work with violet-gray paint colors, which will look discordant
• May end up looking dingy if you use it for color-drenching

Key Learning Points

Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory is a warm, greige paint color that is one of our favorite hues for interiors.

• Grecian Ivory is light enough that it can be used even in large, open-concept spaces but has enough pigment to work even in rooms with low light.
• Use Grecian Ivory alongside other warm colors and finishes for a beautiful, inviting color palette.
• Grecian Ivory is a gorgeous exterior paint color that looks bright and airy in the sunshine without looking too stark or washed out.

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

Still need help picking the best paint colors?  Discover our Online Color Consulting Package.

Related Posts

• Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray Paint Color Review
• Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray Paint Color Review
• Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray Paint Color Review

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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.