REDS

So Merlot

#84525A

RGB 132, 82, 90 · HSL 350°, 23%, 42% · CMYK 0, 38, 32, 48

So Merlot is #84525A in HEX — rgb(132, 82, 90), hsl(350°, 23%, 42%), cmyk(0%, 38%, 32%, 48%).

So Merlot pulls into the rich end of the reds spectrum — HSL 350°, 23%, 42%. The muted saturation makes it quiet but present, and the hue reads warm. In interior projects it shines on feature walls, dining rooms, hallways — anywhere you want energy. Reads best alongside cream walls, oak furniture, brass, soft black trim.

Color Codes

HEX#84525A

RGB132, 82, 90

HSL350°, 23%, 42%

HSV350°, 38%, 52%

CMYK0, 38, 32, 48

Decimal8671834

CSS RGBrgb(132, 82, 90)

CSS HSLhsl(350, 23%, 42%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Behr

So Merlot PPU1-15

ΔE 0.6 · #84525B

Dulux

Loganberry S01E7

ΔE 2.2 · #89535A

PPG

Old Burgundy 13-05

ΔE 2.8 · #89585D

Sherwin-Williams

Aged Wine SW6299

ΔE 2.8 · #895460

Vista Paint

Starlet C-93

ΔE 4 · #845052

Benjamin Moore

Love 1266

ΔE 4.2 · #865A5E

Hallman-Lindsay

Flowering Chestnut historic-flowering-chestnut

ΔE 4.2 · #875657

Valspar

In the Red 1007-5A

ΔE 4.3 · #7F5051

Kilz

Cranberry Spice LA290-01

ΔE 5.3 · #7E4E5E

Dunn-Edwards

Mahogany Cherry DE5020

ΔE 6.2 · #82495A

Farrow & Ball

Preference Red 297

ΔE 8.1 · #6D4247

Kobra

Copper 46

ΔE 12.6 · #7B584C

Colorhouse

Wood .05 Wood-05

ΔE 12.7 · #6F595D

IKEA

IKEA134 134

ΔE 13 · #856A73

RAL

Chestnut Brown 8015

ΔE 14.4 · #633A34

Dutch Boy

Western Brown VS-9660

ΔE 20 · #53372C

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

12/100

Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Soaks up light and feels moody and intimate. Great for studies, dining rooms and accent walls; pair with ample lighting.

Undertone

TemperatureWarm MasstoneRed UndertonePink

Reads as a warm red with a pink undertone showing through, especially in daylight. Pair trim and adjacent colours to either calm or amplify that undertone.

Color Theory

Complementary

#84525A

#52847C

Analogous

#845273

#84525A

#846352

Triadic

#84525A

#5B8452

#525B84

Split-Complementary

#84525A

#528463

#527384

Tetradic

#84525A

#738452

#52847C

#635284

Monochromatic

#26181A

#55353A

#84525A

#AB7881

#C8A7AD

Rectangle

#84525A

#847C52

#52847C

#525B84

Compound

#84525A

#846352

#52847C

#527384

Variations

Lighter

#A46D77

#B8959B

#D4C3C6

Darker

#6A4148

#4A2C31

#2B191C

Saturation

#726466

#84525B

#AD293F

Interior Use

Best Rooms

dining rooms, hallways, feature walls

Best Uses

accent walls, doors, statement furniture

Pairs With

cream walls, oak furniture, brass, soft black trim

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

6.30:1

vs Black

3.34:1

AA Large

Deuteranopia

#84525A

#6A6759

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#84525A

#5D5D59

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#84525A

#825557

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Bold · Energetic

So Merlot carries the unmistakable charge of red — it raises pulse and appetite, draws the eye first in any room, and refuses to recede. Use it where you want presence: dining rooms that should feel social, hallways that need a focal point, front doors that announce arrival.

SymbolismPassion, urgency, vitality

PersonalityConfident, expressive, daring

energyappetitefocalsocialwarmthstatement

How it looks under different light

#A26A5F

Warm Bulb 2700K

Incandescent / soft white LED — pulls colour toward yellow/amber.

#84525A

Daylight 5500K

Midday natural light or daylight-spec LED — closest to the paint chip.

#906F83

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

Pairs With

#EBEAEA

Trim

Matched off-white

Same hue at 92% lightness — trim reads coordinated, not stark.

#F8F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

Near-white with a hint of the hero's undertone — ceiling feels intentional.

#44726A

Accent

Complementary punch

Hue +180°, slightly muted for paint vs. screen — use on a door, frame, or single piece.

#574738

Floor

Walnut neutral

Warm mid-brown grounds the scheme regardless of hero hue.

Paint Info

Brand · Product Line

Benjamin Moore / Regal Select Interior

Recommended Finishes

Eggshell (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Matte (ceiling)

Eggshell hides imperfections on main walls while keeping the color rich; pearl on trim adds subtle sheen and easier cleaning; flat matte on ceilings prevents glare.

Best Surfaces

Primary walls · Cabinetry · Doors · Mouldings

Coverage & Dry Time

Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.

Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.

Primer

Standard primer is adequate.

Application Tip

Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.

Paint Calculator

Wall area (m²)

Coats

Coverage (m² / L)

You'll need

4.0 litres

1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.

Code Snippets

CSS — color

color: #84525A;

CSS — background

background-color: #84525A;

CSS Variable

--color-so-merlot: #84525A;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'so-merlot': '#84525A' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#84525A] text-[#84525A]

SCSS

$so-merlot: #84525A;

Similar Colors

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#85595D · ΔE 3.9

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#8C5059 · ΔE 4.5

New London Burgundy

#754B4E · ΔE 5.7

Carter Plum

#734450 · ΔE 6.5

Bottle of Bordéaux

#7D485A · ΔE 6.7

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#7C4547 · ΔE 7.1

Built by DSGN.HOUSE Updated 2026

Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.

Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #84525A?

#84525A is So Merlot, a mid-tone red with a warm undertone.

Is #84525A warm or cool?

So Merlot reads warm, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with So Merlot?

So Merlot works well in dining rooms, hallways, feature walls. Designers typically use it for accent walls, doors, statement furniture.

What colors pair well with So Merlot?

So Merlot pairs naturally with cream walls, oak furniture, brass, soft black trim. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download So Merlot?

You can download So Merlot on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.

What's the hex code for So Merlot?

The hex code is #84525A. In RGB it's 132, 82, 90, and in HSL it's 350°, 23%, 42%.

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