GREYS

Merlin’s Choice

#9F8898

RGB 159, 136, 152 · HSL 318°, 11%, 58% · CMYK 0, 14, 4, 38

Merlin’s Choice is #9F8898 in HEX — rgb(159, 136, 152), hsl(318°, 11%, 58%), cmyk(0%, 14%, 4%, 38%).

Merlin’s Choice pulls into the mid-tone end of the greys spectrum — HSL 318°, 11%, 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#9F8898

RGB159, 136, 152

HSL318°, 11%, 58%

HSV318°, 14%, 62%

CMYK0, 14, 4, 38

Decimal10455192

CSS RGBrgb(159, 136, 152)

CSS HSLhsl(318, 11%, 58%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Dulux

Merlin's Choice S47C4

ΔE 0.6 · #9F8899

Valspar

Sweet Purple 1003-7C

ΔE 1.6 · #A2889A

Behr

Blackberry Mocha 120F-4

ΔE 2.4 · #9E8692

Vista Paint

Lady Like K-747

ΔE 2.7 · #A48B9F

Hallman-Lindsay

Berry Bright 1213

ΔE 2.8 · #A08497

PPG

Wright Murasaki FLLW771

ΔE 3.7 · #9B8C9F

Sherwin-Williams

Thistle SW6283

ΔE 4 · #AA8E9A

Benjamin Moore

Amorous AF-600

ΔE 4.1 · #968997

Kilz

Plum Notion RA130-01

ΔE 4.2 · #938497

Dunn-Edwards

Muted Berry DE5977

ΔE 6.4 · #91788C

Farrow & Ball

Brassica 271

ΔE 6.9 · #8D8089

RAL

Pastel Violet 4009

ΔE 7.2 · #A47D90

IKEA

IKEA088 88

ΔE 8.4 · #8B859D

Colorhouse

Wool .04 Wool-04

ΔE 11.8 · #8B8A8C

Kobra

Grey 42

ΔE 12.6 · #889099

Dutch Boy

Natural Gray VS-9332

ΔE 13 · #878787

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

27/100

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 MasstonePink UndertoneRed

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#9F8898

#88A08F

Analogous

#9B88A0

#9F8898

#A0888D

Triadic

#9F8898

#99A088

#8899A0

Split-Complementary

#9F8898

#8DA088

#88A09B

Tetradic

#9F8898

#A09B88

#88A08F

#888DA0

Monochromatic

#4F404B

#7A6272

#9F8898

#C2B3BD

#E4DDE2

Rectangle

#9F8898

#A08F88

#88A08F

#8899A0

Compound

#9F8898

#A0888D

#88A08F

#88A09B

Variations

Lighter

#B3A0AD

#C5B9C1

#DCD7DB

Darker

#84697C

#5B4855

#352932

Saturation

#979095

#A08899

#CF58AC

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

3.26:1

AA Large

vs Black

6.45:1

Deuteranopia

#9F8898

#909298

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#9F8898

#8C8C96

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#9F8898

#9D8B8B

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Merlin’s Choice 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

#B7938D

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#9F8898

Daylight 5500K

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

#A498B1

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEAEB

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.

#5E9D71

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: #9F8898;

CSS — background

background-color: #9F8898;

CSS Variable

--color-merlin’s-choice: #9F8898;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'merlin’s-choice': '#9F8898' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#9F8898] text-[#9F8898]

SCSS

$merlin’s-choice: #9F8898;

Similar Colors

Amorous

#958896 · ΔE 4.2

Hazy Lilac

#9B8E9C · ΔE 4.3

Iris Bliss

#AA98AD · ΔE 6.7

Frozen in Time

#928187 · ΔE 6.9

Wild Orchid

#957E99 · ΔE 7.2

Sleepy Hollow

#988B90 · ΔE 7.3

Carolina Plum

#9A83A0 · ΔE 7.5

Mauve Blush

#A19195 · ΔE 7.7

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 #9F8898?

#9F8898 is Merlin’s Choice, a mid-tone grey with a cool undertone.

Is #9F8898 warm or cool?

Merlin’s Choice reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Merlin’s Choice?

Merlin’s Choice works well in living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms. Designers typically use it for walls, soft furniture, hard surfaces.

What colors pair well with Merlin’s Choice?

Merlin’s Choice 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 Merlin’s Choice?

You can download Merlin’s Choice 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 Merlin’s Choice?

The hex code is #9F8898. In RGB it's 159, 136, 152, and in HSL it's 318°, 11%, 58%.

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