GREYS

Art Critique

#979490

RGB 151, 148, 144 · HSL 34°, 3%, 58% · CMYK 0, 2, 5, 41

Art Critique is #979490 in HEX — rgb(151, 148, 144), hsl(34°, 3%, 58%), cmyk(0%, 2%, 5%, 41%).

Art Critique pulls into the mid-tone end of the greys spectrum — HSL 34°, 3%, 58%. 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#979490

RGB151, 148, 144

HSL34°, 3%, 58%

HSV34°, 5%, 59%

CMYK0, 2, 5, 41

Decimal9933968

CSS RGBrgb(151, 148, 144)

CSS HSLhsl(34, 3%, 58%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Kilz

Art Critique RL140

Exact match

Behr

Cheyenne Rock 780B-5

ΔE 0.8 · #969591

Sherwin-Williams

Summit Gray SW7669

ΔE 1 · #959491

Valspar

Cathedral Stone 4003-2A

ΔE 1.1 · #979492

Benjamin Moore

Soho CSP-10

ΔE 1.5 · #9A9593

Dulux

Reckless Grey SG6H5

ΔE 1.7 · #92908C

Vista Paint

Sparrow C-553

ΔE 1.8 · #999594

PPG

Lazy Afternoon 1007-5

ΔE 2 · #97928B

IKEA

IKEA168 168

ΔE 2.2 · #9E9893

Hallman-Lindsay

Sparrow 554

ΔE 2.4 · #999494

Dutch Boy

Smoky Gray VS-9305

ΔE 2.5 · #95958D

RAL

Telegrey 1 7045

ΔE 3 · #909090

Farrow & Ball

Plummett 272

ΔE 3.3 · #8D8D8B

Dunn-Edwards

Walrus DE6368

ΔE 3.8 · #999B9B

Colorhouse

Wool .04 Wool-04

ΔE 5.2 · #8B8A8C

Kobra

Grey 42

ΔE 8.6 · #889099

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

30/100

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

#979490

#919397

Analogous

#979191

#979490

#979791

Triadic

#979490

#919794

#949197

Split-Complementary

#979490

#919797

#919197

Tetradic

#979490

#919791

#919397

#979197

Monochromatic

#4A4845

#716E6A

#979490

#BCBAB8

#E1E1DF

Rectangle

#979490

#939791

#919397

#949197

Compound

#979490

#979791

#919397

#919197

Variations

Lighter

#ACAAA7

#C0BFBD

#DADAD9

Darker

#7A7773

#54524F

#31302E

Saturation

#959493

#979491

#CB9B5D

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

3.02:1

AA Large

vs Black

6.95:1

Deuteranopia

#979490

#969591

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#979490

#959591

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#979490

#979394

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Art Critique 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

#B19C87

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#979490

Daylight 5500K

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

#9EA1AB

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEBEA

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.

#5E7A9D

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: #979490;

CSS — background

background-color: #979490;

CSS Variable

--color-art-critique: #979490;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'art-critique': '#979490' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#979490] text-[#979490]

SCSS

$art-critique: #979490;

Similar Colors

Soho Loft

#999492 · ΔE 1.4

Rainstorm

#929591 · ΔE 2.3

Wall Street

#929392 · ΔE 2.4

Galveston Gray

#99958C · ΔE 2.8

Gothic Arch

#9D968C · ΔE 3.8

Escarpment

#A29D96 · ΔE 3.9

Vintage Pewter

#A09E97 · ΔE 4.0

Sterling Silver

#A09E9D · ΔE 4.2

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 #979490?

#979490 is Art Critique, a mid-tone grey with a cool undertone.

Is #979490 warm or cool?

Art Critique reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Art Critique?

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

What colors pair well with Art Critique?

Art Critique 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 Art Critique?

You can download Art Critique 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 Art Critique?

The hex code is #979490. In RGB it's 151, 148, 144, and in HSL it's 34°, 3%, 58%.

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