Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt (SW 6204) is an iconic blue-green paint color that is soft and muted. it is a flexible color that can look good with both muted and fresh color palettes. I can’t say that its a color that goes everywhere, because then we will find the place where it doesn’t look right. This blue-green paint color leans more toward green vs. blue, and I consider it more of a color than a neutral.
Don’t confuse Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt with Benjamin Moore Sea Salt. They are not even close! BM Sea Salt is a gray with violet undertones.
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When Should I use SW Sea Salt?
Use Sea Salt when you want a splash of color. I love to use this color in mud rooms, laundry rooms as well as calm and peaceful bedrooms. It looks amazing with muted terra cotta floors as well as with crisp white color. A little bit goes a long way. Unless you are absolutely in love with this palette, my preference is to avoid it for large common spaces.
What are the best trim and ceiling colors to pair with SW Sea Salt?
I like to match trim and ceiling colors. All of the trim and ceiling colors in this post are Extra White SW 7005, which is a bright white with invisible blue undertones. Sea Salt also works well with clean whites such as SW High Reflective White and off-whites such as SW Alabaster and SW Greek Villa. I would not go creamier unless you have to.
How does it look in darker spaces?
Sea Salt can take a bluer tone in darker spaces, or with North facing light. You still see tons of the green though.
What is the closest Benjamin Moore Paint Color to SW Sea Salt?
Benjamin Moore Gray Cashmere (2128-60), and its a pretty good match. Don’t try to match the color. Learn more about matching paint colors here.
The Verdict
Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt is a colorful and lovely color that rarely disappoints. Use it in small doses, unless you LOVE a blue-green color throughout. Pair with crisp whites and off-whites for trim and ceiling colors.
No matter what, don’t forget to 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.
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.
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13 Responses
I love Sea Salt I have it in my master suite and my guest suite. It’s very calming. We did the ceiling with the Sea Salt but added a little white to lighten it. With our large white crown molding it looks great. We tried the white but it looked like it was missing something and actually the molding just blended in. So using the lightened Sea salt was perfect.
This is my all-time favorite color!! I painted my whole house this color and the reactions I would get were always positive! I was told they felt like they were in a spa. I don’t live in that house anymore but couldn’t resist painting my new bedroom in Sea Salt!
Hi Jayce and Carol
I saw your comments on Color Concierge and wanted to ask you a question about SHERWIN WILLIAMS SEA SALT.
I have white kitchen cabinets and a black glass kitchen table with black chairs. Would it be okay you think to paint the kitchen in SEA SALT? I’m asking you because it seems most of the photos I see of SEA SALT have it paired with a white color, not black. I just purchased my black glass kitchen table too 🙂
Hi this color will go very nice with Black and with the white cabinets it will look very nice!
What (placemats, dishes and eso accessories) colors do you use in your kitchen. I have black already but for light fixtures and table.
I have lots of black wood furniture in my living room and dining room. The sea salt looks amazing with it.
I’m so glad! 🙂
Love this! What is the beige color on the other wall (in the kitchen?)?
I’m trying to update my kitchen which currently has golden oak cabinets and I have a darker dark brown flooring luxury vinyl tile along with Santa Cecilia granite and I was wondering if sea salt by Sherwin-Williams would look good on the walls and use Alabaster or Greek Villa by Sherwin-Williams for my cabinet colors or should I just restain my oak cabinets and maybe a darker color
I repaired my honey oak cabinets in Greek Villa, I have sea salt in my open kitchen and carried it onto one wall in my adjoining family room where my fire place is located. The rest of the room is alabaster. I amcarrying alabaster into my foyer, and some of my dining room and adding an accent darker color. Makes the house look new. I love it.
I have SW Sea Salt in living room/kitchen and adjoining foyer. It’s a cedar home in the country. I have a barnwood accent wall and use a lot of copper in the kitchen. Also have a copper roof on house. I chose this color because it reminds me of the patina copper develops over time. Sometimes, however, I start to think the color is too coastal for my home, but i can not find a color more suiting. It’s a small space with slanted walls so it can’t handle a dark color. It has been this color 8 years, still feels soothing. Any suggestions for a different paint color. My kitchen is open to living room with white top cabinets and medium gray lower cabinets. Granite counters white/cream/ taupe/gray.
Just purchased a townhouse near the beach. Not remodeling the entire house at once; therefore, just painting the upstairs bathrooms and cabinets. My master bath has a darker green countertop. I can see some gray tone & very small black specs. Love the calming color of sea salt, but it appears blue next to the counter. Do you think it will look more green when the whole wall is painted?
Hi Pam, it’s hard for us to make specific recommendations for rooms without photos. Please consider a color consultation.