GREYS

Approaching Storm

#8D8B89

RGB 141, 139, 137 · HSL 30°, 2%, 55% · CMYK 0, 1, 3, 45

Approaching Storm is #8D8B89 in HEX — rgb(141, 139, 137), hsl(30°, 2%, 55%), cmyk(0%, 1%, 3%, 45%).

Approaching Storm pulls into the mid-tone end of the greys spectrum — HSL 30°, 2%, 55%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on walls, soft furniture, hard surfaces — as the project's quiet backbone. Reads best alongside white trim, natural wood, brass, soft black accents.

Color Codes

HEX#8D8B89

RGB141, 139, 137

HSL30°, 2%, 55%

HSV30°, 3%, 55%

CMYK0, 1, 3, 45

Decimal9276297

CSS RGBrgb(141, 139, 137)

CSS HSLhsl(30, 2%, 55%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Kilz

Approaching Storm RL190

Exact match

Dulux

Stepney SN4H4

ΔE 0.9 · #8F8D8A

Farrow & Ball

Plummett 272

ΔE 1 · #8D8D8B

PPG

Antique Silver 1002-5

ΔE 1.3 · #918E8C

Valspar

Grey Suit 4004-2A

ΔE 1.5 · #888886

Dunn-Edwards

Looking Glass DE6376

ΔE 1.7 · #888786

Behr

Creek Bend 790F-4

ΔE 1.8 · #928C89

RAL

Grey Aluminium 9007

ΔE 2 · #8F8F8F

Benjamin Moore

Cinder AF-705

ΔE 2.1 · #878684

Dutch Boy

Natural Gray VS-9332

ΔE 2.2 · #878787

Colorhouse

Wool .04 Wool-04

ΔE 2.3 · #8B8A8C

Sherwin-Williams

Classic French Gray SW0077

ΔE 2.5 · #888782

Vista Paint

Cast in Stone K-818

ΔE 2.9 · #858483

Hallman-Lindsay

Paved Path 582

ΔE 3.9 · #828782

IKEA

IKEA180 180

ΔE 4.8 · #81857E

Kobra

Grey 42

ΔE 7.4 · #889099

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

26/100

Medium

0 · DarkLight · 100

Balanced reflectance — holds colour without washing out. Versatile for most rooms and the most forgiving range for true-to-chip results.

Undertone

TemperatureNeutral MasstoneOrange UndertoneYellow

A near-neutral with a subtle neutral yellow undertone — it will pick up colour from surrounding surfaces and shift noticeably under different light.

Color Theory

Complementary

#8D8B89

#8A8C8F

Analogous

#8F8A8A

#8D8B89

#8F8F8A

Triadic

#8D8B89

#8A8F8C

#8C8A8F

Split-Complementary

#8D8B89

#8A8F8F

#8A8A8F

Tetradic

#8D8B89

#8A8F8A

#8A8C8F

#8F8A8F

Monochromatic

#41403E

#686664

#8D8B89

#B4B3B1

#DAD9D8

Rectangle

#8D8B89

#8C8F8A

#8A8C8F

#8C8A8F

Compound

#8D8B89

#8F8F8A

#8A8C8F

#8A8A8F

Variations

Lighter

#A5A3A1

#BBBAB9

#D7D7D6

Darker

#73706E

#4F4D4B

#2E2D2C

Saturation

#8D8C8C

#8F8C8A

#C78C52

Interior Use

Best Rooms

living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms

Best Uses

walls, soft furniture, hard surfaces

Pairs With

white trim, natural wood, brass, soft black accents

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

3.39:1

AA Large

vs Black

6.19:1

Deuteranopia

#8D8B89

#8C8C8A

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#8D8B89

#8B8B89

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#8D8B89

#8D8B8B

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Approaching Storm gets out of the way so the architecture and the people in the room do the work. The right neutral is never a default — it reads warm or cool, dusty or sharp depending on its undertone, and that undertone is what makes or breaks the room.

SymbolismBalance, sophistication, calm

PersonalityAdaptable, considered, timeless

versatileneutraltimelessbackdroptrimwall

How it looks under different light

#A99582

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#8D8B89

Daylight 5500K

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

#969AA6

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEBEB

Trim

Matched off-white

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

#F7F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

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

#597795

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 · Trim · Soft furniture

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: #8D8B89;

CSS — background

background-color: #8D8B89;

CSS Variable

--color-approaching-storm: #8D8B89;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'approaching-storm': '#8D8B89' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#8D8B89] text-[#8D8B89]

SCSS

$approaching-storm: #8D8B89;

Similar Colors

Cinder

#868583 · ΔE 2.4

Secret

#888983 · ΔE 2.8

Wall Street

#929392 · ΔE 3.1

Street Chic

#848480 · ΔE 3.3

Evening Skyline

#91898B · ΔE 3.3

Hearthstone

#888D8F · ΔE 3.5

Stonehedge

#8D9193 · ΔE 3.8

Shaker Gray

#83898A · ΔE 3.8

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 #8D8B89?

#8D8B89 is Approaching Storm, a mid-tone grey with a cool undertone.

Is #8D8B89 warm or cool?

Approaching Storm reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Approaching Storm?

Approaching Storm works well in living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms. Designers typically use it for walls, soft furniture, hard surfaces.

What colors pair well with Approaching Storm?

Approaching Storm pairs naturally with white trim, natural wood, brass, soft black accents. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Approaching Storm?

You can download Approaching Storm 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 Approaching Storm?

The hex code is #8D8B89. In RGB it's 141, 139, 137, and in HSL it's 30°, 2%, 55%.

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