The world might be leaning a little more beige these days, but there are still plenty of reasons to use a nice soft gray in your decor. Sherwin Williams On the Rocks is a cool-leaning light gray that makes a great backdrop for your other decor and big ideas.
Let’s take a look at On the Rocks in real homes, look through coordinating colors, and muse over a few solid alternatives.
What Color is Sherwin Williams On the Rocks? (SW 7671)
On the Rocks varies quite a lot in appearance from a grayish off-white to a soft blue gray. I would say that most often it looks like a light gray with cool blue undertones.
LRV and RBG of Sherwin Williams On the Rocks
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.
On the Rocks is not technically an off-white, because it’s LRV is all the way down at 62. That being said, if you don’t have a lot of white present, the color reads quite light.
The RGB of On the Rocks is: Red 208, Green 206, Blue 200.
Sherwin Williams provides the hex code for On the Rocks as: #D0CEC8.
What Are the Undertones of On the Rocks?
On the Rocks is not technically a blue gray at all, it’s actually more of a greige:
However, this color does have blueish undertones. This one is a little bit tricky! Next to a true blue-gray that is a little darker: On the Rocks will read warmer and greigey. Almost any other time, this color will look like a cool gray.
I recently reviewed Behr White Metal, and it has a lot of the same characteristics.
Does On the Rocks ever look yellow?
No! Even though On the Rocks is technically a warmer gray, it doesn’t ever have a yellowy undertone.
Is On the Rocks Warm or Cool?
On the Rocks has elements of both a warm and cool color. Personally, I would treat it like a cool paint color because it most often has that blue undertone.
On the Rocks Color Strip
Unfortunately, On the Rocks doesn’t have a traditional light to dark color strip. Sherwin Williams has instead grouped it into a collection of white and off-white paint colors:
Here are all of the colors from this color strip:
- Pure White (7005)
- Alabaster (7008)
- Westhighland White (7566)
- Egret White (7570)
- Pediment (7634)
- Crushed Ice (7647)
- On the Rocks (7671)
Lighter Version of On the Rocks – Solstice (SW 9571)
You can see that none of the colors from the color strip are a perfect lighter or darker version of On the Rocks. I sifted through a whole bunch of Sherwin Williams colors, and settled on Solstice as a solid lighter alternative.
The LRV of Solstice is 69, so it is just a shade lighter.
Darker Version of On the Rocks – Silverplate (SW 7649)
For a slightly darker alternative to On the Rocks, check out Silverplate. It has an LRV of 53, so again, just a little bit darker.
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks in a Color Palette
I wanted to create a soft neutral color palette around On the Rocks that would go with both the cool and greigey undertones of this color:
Coordinating Colors to Pair with On the Rocks
Here are all of the colors that I chose for this palette:
Jasper Stone
Jasper Stone is a lighter shade on the same color strip as the deep dark favorite Jasper.
The cool gray green color of Jasper Stone should make On the Rocks look it’s most neutral. (It’s always a good idea to test the colors together in your space, because they can be unpredictable.)
Pure White
I will show you a few more white options when we talk trim, but the fan favorite Pure White is generally a go-with-everything white:
Because Pure White isn’t a cool white, it may make On the Rocks look a bit cooler (more blue).
Pavestone
The beautiful gray taupe of Pavestone is a darker neutral that shares the “sort-of-warm and sort-of-cool” qualities of On the Rocks.
Iron Ore
If you need a not-black chameleon color to pair with On the Rocks, you will love Iron Ore!
Iron Ore is also technically a warm gray that has cool blue undertones, so this would be an interesting, but somehow safe, color combination.
Complementary Color for On the Rocks
The “official” complementary color (the color directly across the wheel) from On the Rocks, would be a soft gray blue. Sherwin Williams Daydream is a pretty close match:
You can see that a true blue like Daydream very much emphasizes the underlying warmth in On the Rocks.
What Trim Colors Go With Sherwin Williams On the Rocks?
For me personally, I would aim to have On the Rocks look as neutral as possible. This is just my preference, and will give you a result that is the closest to the actual swatch.
Here are some cooler trim whites that will get the job done:
You can kind of see from the graphic how the warmest trim color (top) makes the background looks most blue.
White Paint that Goes with On the Rocks
High Reflective White
High Reflective White is the one white on this list that is totally neutral and not actually cool. This is the brightest white that Sherwin Williams offers, so it will make your walls look a bit darker. This one will also not necessarily minimize blue tones, but it won’t emphasize them either.
Extra White
This cool white is a popular choice for trim, and won’t add to the blue undertone of On the Rocks.
Natural White
Natural White is a slightly gray white that will minimize the contrast between your On the Rocks walls and trim.
Ceiling Bright White
Ceiling Bright White is a cool and gray white that is actually not all that bright. This one should tone down the blue of On the Rocks.
For a white trim color that complements and emphasizes the blue undertones in On the Rocks. Look for a truly warm white like Alabaster, Greek Villa, or White Flour.
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks for Your Home’s Interior
Finally! Let’s get to the good stuff and see this color in real life!
On the Rocks in the Living Room
Kristi from @housetohomenc used On the Rocks in a few areas of her home, starting in the living room:
You can see here that it looks like a fairly true gray.
In this next photo it looks a bit cooler, and on the fireplace wall it does have a blue undertone:
Here is another photo where the room is a little farther along:
One last photo of this living room:
Again I find the undertone fairly prominent. In this last photo it looks maybe a little bit purple.
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks in a Dining Room
Kristi also used On the Rocks in her dining room:
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks in a Bedroom
Before we dive right in to the bedrooms, I wanted to point out that in each of these rooms, the gray of On the Rocks looks both very light and very neutral.
Upstairs at Kristi’s place, she used On the Rocks on the main walls in this bedroom:
The accent wall is Sherwin Williams Dovetail. You can see that On the Rocks looks very light against the darker accent wall:
Cactus House (@cactushouse.abq) also has On the Rocks in a few different rooms. Here it is in a bedroom:
This room has lots of natural light, so On the Rocks almost looks like an off-white. Only the trim gives it away:
Here it is again in the same house, but another bedroom:
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks in a Kitchen
Still at Cactus House, On the Rocks carries through into the kitchen:
Originally the homeowners had white cabinets, but later they renovated and switched to dark:
Nice for us to see this color with both!
In @thefoxtudor, On the Rocks also appears on the walls of the kitchen:
In this room, the blue undertone is definitely on display! Here is another shot:
And one more for good measure:
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find On the Rocks on cabinets, so we have to compromise and come up with a “good enough” example.
Here are a couple photos of Repose Gray on cabinets that I have adjusted to be closer to the true color of On the Rocks:
Repose Gray is a little bit darker and warmer than On the Rocks, so I brightened and cooled the photos.
It’s not perfect, but hopefully that helps you visualize a little better.
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks on an Exterior
We run into a similar problem with exteriors when it comes to getting good examples of the color. Here is a home in a color that looks very very similar to how On the Rocks will look outside:
Any color will look lighter outside, so you can expect On the Rocks to be an almost off-white light gray with cool undertones.
Can You Use On the Rocks for Exterior Trim?
I would recommend only using On the Rocks for your trim if you are okay with it looking almost white. Especially next to a dark color, it is very likely to look like a cool off-white.
On the Rocks Compared to Other Gray and Neutral Paint Colors
Not sure about this color yet? Here is how it stacks up compared to similar colors that you may also be considering:
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks vs Agreeable Gray
On the Rocks is much cooler and more gray than the greige of the famous SW Agreeable Gray:
Agreeable Gray has an LRV of 60, so it is a hair darker than On the Rocks.
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks vs Big Chill
On the Rocks and Big Chill are super similar! So similar that you might be wondering why they even have both. (Same!) Big Chill is the tiniest bit more gray than On the Rocks.
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks vs Crushed Ice
Crushed Ice has a slightly more purple undertone than On the Rocks. It is also a little bit lighter:
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks vs Passive
Passive is a little bit darker than On the Rocks. It is also a cooler green-based gray:
Passive happens to be one of my dupes for both Behr White Metal and Behr Silver Bullet, as it lies somewhere in between.
Sherwin Williams On the Rocks vs Repose Gray
Repose Gray is a taupey gray so it reads a touch warmer than On the Rocks:
Repose Gray is more likely to have a slightly violet tone rather than the blue of On the Rocks. It also has an LRV of 58, so it is a bit darker.
Dupes for SW On the Rocks
Here are all of the best alternatives for On the Rocks from other brands:
I didn’t get as close as I normally can in terms of color matches, so I gave a few more options than usual.
Benjamin Moore On the Rocks Equivalent
From Benjamin Moore, the closest match to On the Rocks is either Nimbus or Barren Plain.
Benjamin Moore Nimbus (1465)
Nimbus is just a tiny bit warmer than On the Rocks. You can see that it looks slightly beige in comparison:
Benjamin Moore Barren Plain (2111-60)
Barren Plain is also a little bit warmer than On the Rocks, but not as much as Nimbus. It is however, a bit lighter.
Valspar (Lowe’s) Equivalent to On the Rocks
If you’re heading to Lowe’s, I’ve got two options to consider there as well. The closest alternatives to On the Rocks, are Filtered Shade, and Sandstone Gray.
Valspar Filtered Shade (4003-1B)
Technically Filtered Shade is warmer than On the Rocks, but it’s also more gray, so it balances out:
Filtered Shade is more likely to have a purple undertone vs the blue of On the Rocks.
Valspar Sandstone Gray (7004-18)
Sandstone Gray is lighter and a touch more gray than On the Rocks.
On the Rocks Behr Equivalent (Home Depot)
Unfortunately, I was not able to get quite as close to On the Rocks with Behr as I would have liked to. The best overall color match was Dolphin Fin.
Behr Dolphin Fin (790C-3)
Dolphin Fin is quite a popular Behr color all on its own. In fact you can read all abut it in my post:
Dolphin Fin is a little bit more greige and darker than On the Rocks. However it does do the same technically-warm-kind-of-looks-blue thing that On the Rocks does.
If it’s a little bit too dark for you, you could try one shade lighter: Silver Drop.
Here’s a recap of all the dupes:
Final Thoughts On the Rocks
I hope this helped you decide if this is the perfect light gray for you! Thank you so much for reading to the end, that really helps my site.
Not the right color? Here are some other posts for you to peruse:
