GREYS
Merlin's Choice
#9F8899
Merlin's Choice is #9F8899 in HEX — rgb(159, 136, 153), hsl(316°, 11%, 58%), cmyk(0%, 14%, 4%, 38%).
Merlin's Choice pulls into the mid-tone end of the greys spectrum — HSL 316°, 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
Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands
Light Reflectance & Undertone
Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
27/100
Medium
Balanced reflectance — holds colour without washing out. Versatile for most rooms and the most forgiving range for true-to-chip results.
Undertone
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
Analogous
Triadic
Split-Complementary
Tetradic
Monochromatic
Rectangle
Compound
Shades & Tints
Shades and tints of Merlin's Choice run from a pale tint down to a deep shade — same hue and saturation, lightness stepped. Each rung below shows its exact HEX code; tap any to copy it.
Variations
Lighter
Darker
Saturation
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)
Deuteranopia
Protanopia
Tritanopia
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.
How it looks under different light
Pairs With
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
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
color: #9F8899;background-color: #9F8899;--color-merlin's-choice: #9F8899;colors: { 'merlin's-choice': '#9F8899' }bg-[#9F8899] text-[#9F8899]$merlin's-choice: #9F8899;Similar Colors
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 #9F8899?
#9F8899 is Merlin's Choice, a mid-tone grey with a cool undertone.
Is #9F8899 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 #9F8899. In RGB it's 159, 136, 153, and in HSL it's 316°, 11%, 58%.