Sherwin Williams Sea Salt Paint Color
Thinking about painting your home in Sherwin Williams Sea Salt? Read on!
I’ve promised to share more of my favorite home decor ideas and first up is one of my favorite topics, paint colors! Specifically, why I adore Sherwin Williams Sea Salt and think it’s the perfect serene paint color.
When I first walked into my house to look at it, everything was black. The walls, the trim, the kitchen, the foyer, everything. I’m much more of a “light and bright” type of color person so I knew I had to do some changing. Thankfully, painting is one of the easiest and most transformational changes you can make to a home.
Most of my house is painted PPG’s White Umber, but at the request of my husband, we needed a little color somewhere. I agreed! Thus, my quest to find the perfect paint color. I wanted it calming, relaxing, and simple.
A color that could go with a variety of furniture pieces, bedding changes, etc. Sherwin Williams Sea Salt is that color!
Sherwin Williams Sea Salt
Here’s the paint strip for Sea Salt SW 6204 so you can have an idea of the paint color! Don’t worry when you see that my paint bucket above looks different than the strip below, this is a chameleon paint color (I was by a window with a LOT of light), changing with many factors. More on that below…
So far I have painted my guest room and bathroom in Sherwin Williams Sea Salt, and I’m already eyeing a couple other rooms to paint too. One thing to note is that Sea Salt changes a bit with the lighting. Depending on the direction the room faces, how much light is coming into the room, whether it’s natural light or artificial light. Lots of variations mean variations in the color.
Naturally, I highly recommend grabbing a sample and testing your area, but I’m fairly certain you will love it!
Sea Salt Undertones & Details
- Sea Salt is a chameleon color with green and gray undertones.
- It’s on the cool side rather than warm/yellow side.
- The Light Reflectance Value (or LRV, for short) for Sea Salt is 63, this means it will lighten and brighten your room!
Sea Salt In Your Home
A few things to keep in mind when deciding how Sherwin Williams Sea Salt will look in your home!
- Though it has cooler undertones, a lack of natural light (and a plethora of artificial lighting) will lean this color to the warmer side of the spectrum.
- My room is West facing and the colors pick up more blue. I’ve also heard this can happen in North facing rooms. It’s a beautiful green/blue, however, so I highly recommend it for North/West facing walls.
- In a South facing room, this color will pick up more of the greens.
What Colors Coordinate Well With Sea Salt
Sherwin Williams suggests these three colors as coordinating colors that pair well with Sea Salt.
- SW 6203 Spare White
- SW 7666 Fleur de Sel
- SW 7669 Summit Gray
Personally, I have PPG White Umber in my home and it pairs beautifully with Sea Salt. Neutrals do well as Sea Salt so here are a few other tried and true neutrals that will pair well with Sea Salt.
- SW Accessible Beige
- SW Kilim Beige
- SW Malabar (I have this in the adjoining den to my Sea Salt bedroom)
I wanted to give you a little look at Sea Salt in various room types. Personally, I love Sea Salt in rooms where you want a “calm” feeling like bedrooms, adjoining bathrooms, living rooms, family rooms, etc. Especially spaces you would like to lighten up like hallways, small powder rooms, etc.
Sea Salt in Bedrooms
Above is my own guest room (see the guest room makeover here). Sea Salt is definitely my favorite color for bedrooms. It instantly gives the room a relaxing “spa-like” feel which is exactly what I want for my guests.
Master Bedroom – Life on Virginia Street
Master Bedroom – Two Twenty One
Bedroom – The Painted Drawer
Sea Salt in Living Rooms
Coastal Living Room – Sand & Sisal
If you want your living room to be a relaxing and calming space where can put your feet up, Sea Salt is your color. I went with a different (more blue) color in my own living room, and I regret it. I’m very seriously thinking about having it repainted in Sea Salt. See these gorgeous examples below…
Living Room – Hooked on Houses
Beach Cottage (the whole interior is painted in Sea Salt) – Southern Hospitality Blog
House Tour (Living Room and many other rooms in Sea Salt) – Paintbrushes & Popsicles
Sunroom (so beautiful) – Unskinny Boppy
Living Room – Pretty Handy Girl
Living Room – Echelon Custom Homes via Houzz
Sea Salt in Kitchens
I love a white kitchen, but if I were leaning towards a color, Sea Salt is a great one! It pairs well with light cabinet colors as well as dark wood-stained colors.
Kitchen – The Turquoise Home
Kitchen #2Â – M is for Mama
Accent Wall in Kitchen – How to Nest for Less
Sea Salt in Bathrooms
This is the PERFECT color for a bathroom. It feels just like a spa color that is instantly calming and refreshing. It’s in my guest bathroom (promise to snap pics soon). Check out a few more below…
Bathroom – Bonnie Donahue
Master Bathroom – Echelon Custom Homes via Houzz
Traditional Bathroom – Echelon Custom Homes via Houzz
Sea Salt in Dining Rooms
If you are wanting to give our dining room a refresh, take a look at how Sherwin Williams Sea Salt adds the perfect touch of playful yet still neutral color.
Dining Room – Palm Street via Houzz
Dining Room #2 – Greystone Country House via Houzz
I hope this has given you a little glimpse into how Sea Salt might look in a space in your own home! It’s truly one of Sherwin Williams’ most popular paint colors for a reason, it looks so great in so many spaces. Share pictures with me if you use SW Sea Salt anywhere in your home! I can’t wait to see!
I used it on my porch ceiling and it appears white, totally due to the sunshine. My daughter used it in her bathrooms and it is true to the sample. The light or lack of light does change it more than some paints.
Hi. I have primarily southern exposure lots of windows with a lake view…want something lighter & less traditional than the camelback I had. Love sea salt. Wanted entry & below hallway chair rails darker. Didn’t care for olive tones on card 217. Used Rockwood blue green. The combination is perfect.
Do you think that a navy accent wall would work well with Sea Salt in a master bedroom with lots of light?
Yes, absolutely Karen! It would be beautiful!
I have a Navy blue couch, I thought it would clash but you think it would pair well?
Michelle, it would be a lot of blues or blue-greens. It could work though. Perhaps get a sample and paint a cardboard square and hold it up to the couch to get a better feel for how they pair together. It could be fabulous!
We have a navy couch and accents in our sea salt living room. We love it!
Amy I would love to see pix! I am using navy too and UNDECIDED on this paint because of everything I have that is navy
I have a small bedroom with no windows.
Would this help make this room brighter and cheerier for guests?
I’m painting over paneling….
This room also has white trim should I leave it white or repaint ??
Thank you
Carol
it took many weeks of deciding on the paint color of my master bedroom. It faces north with a large bay window. The wall are beautiful. Very calming, serene. However, I have a trey ceiling inset which is slanted. This area is goigoing to show a darker shade. But, I like this because it makes this part of ceiling pop. Can’t go wrong with this color. Beautiful
I just finished painting my kitchen walls in sea salt and absolutely love it! My cabinets, including a kitchen island, are all oak, and that has to go! I am stuck between stain colors, not sure if I should go with something like a pickled oak stain (lighter tone) or go with a dark stain. I am also going to replace counter tops and add a backsplash. Just not sure of the best color options to tie everything together.
I painted my washed out 80’s oak cabinets Martha Stewart’s Sharkey Grey. My walls are SeaSalt and I love the results!
I have a very large master bedroom, aprox 20x 2. If I paint it Sea Salt, what color would I paint the tray ceiling?
Help! My painter wants to know tomorrow.
Thought of painting walls Ivory Lace, but still don’t know how to paint the tray ceiling which does not have any crown moulding.
I have white ceilings and an offwhite tray trim!
I just painted my master bedroom Sea Salt and the ceiling Manchester Tan.
I also have a tray ceiling, I did all the steps up and sides of the tray in Manchester Tan but the highest part of the tray ceiling I did in
Sea Salt. My husband and I love how it turned out!
So glad you love Sea Salt too, Audrey! It’s such a beautiful color!
OOPS, ROOM DIMENSIONS ARE 20 X 22 APPROXIMATELY.
Can you recommend some gray colors that coordinate with sea salt? We are thinking sea salt for our kitchen, and want to do a gray for the adjoining great room (which has a 2 story ceiling) and a lighter gray for the foyer. The dining room is currently light blue, but thinking of a darker color for in their as well
I really like SW Accessible Beige (it’s not really beige) and Agreeable Gray from SW also!
I love Agreeable Grey in SW! It is beautiful together!
We painted our walls sw sea salt and passive. Passive is a gorgeous true gray color that looks terrific with sea salt. We have also used SW extra white with the sea salt and that looks beautiful as well.
Hi, just wanted to chime in here about sea salt. I used sea salt in a bathroom with no natural light and it appears more toward a blue than a green. It still looks pretty with newly painted white cabinets and seashore theme.
Thanks for posting I have a small bathroom with no natural light and the sink counter is a olive green like Formica top with oak cabinet. I need a green color to match this any suggestions I don’t want blue.
I too used Sea Salt in a small guest bath with no natural light. I want to paint the vainity white, but then wondered if there was a shade of blue that might make a nice striking contrast.
Do you think about sea salt paint on kitchen cabinets
Hi Kathy! I think it would be really pretty in a beach house, perhaps. I’m more traditional with cabinets and love white but with sea salt walls. However, that’s not to say that it wouldn’t be lovely!
It’s beautiful on Cabnites
I love sea salt color on my cabinets but what color did you go with on your walls?
Where did you find your curtains?
They’re old from JC Penney, I don’t think they have them anymore. Unfortunately! They’re just a basic champagne panel though.
My daughter’s bedroom has a double chair rail with about a half of a foot in between the two rails and I was thinking of doing two colors (one above the chair rail (sea salt) and one below the chair rail. Can you recommend another color to pair with the sea salt? Thank you in advance for your advice.
Hi Natalie! I love white with it or any sort of off-white!
We just painted our home in Florida sea salt with white trim. We are planning on using natural cedar shutters and flower boxes. Im having a hard time deciding what color for the front door. I want something bright and cheery, but not too bold since our Florida neighborhood is on the traditional side. Would you have any other suggestions about the shutter and flower box color?
NAVY BLUE
Dark gray
I live in Florida and want to paint my house sea salt with white trim and a dark blue or dark grey door, I was wondering if you could upload a picture of your house?? I can’t find any examples online.
Coral
Thank you so much for info on SW Sea Salt. I loved this color from the get go. Plan to paint my master bath which has marble tub and vanity sink. This room only has a sky light. What are your thoughts for I know this color changes a lot depending on light. Also, my tile is light gray and my cabinets are wood. Thank you ,Kathy
I painted my sunroom SW Seasalt last Summer and I could not lovecthis color more! It has an immediate calming effect and it is kind of beacby but, not cheesy beachy if that makes sense.
Hi Janett! Yes, I know exactly what you mean! It’s such a pretty color!
My living room is painted sea salt with white trim. My kitchen is currently restful which is a darker teal color. The kitchen and living room pretty much flow together. When you are in the kitchen you can see the living room and when you’re in the living room, you see the kitchen. I’m thinking the teal is a little too bright against the sea salt. Should I paint the kitchen see salt to flow better? Or, should I paint the kitchen accessible beige? The cabinets are a medium kind of cherry.
Thank you
I’ve used Sea Salt right through my house. Different strengths depending on the amount of natural light in the room. I adore this colour. Also agree about the colour change. Depending on where you stand, my walls can look white, green, grey or blue.
I’m so glad you posted this. I’m building a house and am considering doing a whole-house this color but was concerned it might be too much. I like the idea of it appearing more concentrated or lighter, depending on natural light. Would you be willing to post a couple photos??
Hi Ali! What photos are you wanting to see?
I painted several walls Mindful Grey. Would Sea Salt be a good complement?
Hi Leslie, I think those two would be beautiful together. Mindful Grey is a gorgeous color!
I am painting my kitchen sea salt but need to know what Sherwin Williams white paint color you would recommend for the trim. I also have a laundry room adjacent to the kitchen and need to know what Sherwin Williams color you would recommend for the walls that will flow with Sea Salt. Do you recommend a Semi-Gloss or a High Gloss paint for the trim? Thank you!
Hi Karen! That will be beautiful. I use an old Porter color for my white in my house. White Umber. Sherwin Williams likely could mix it up. As for pure SW colors, Alabaster White is a popular one, though I just have Umber White. I use semi-gloss on my trim. High gloss would be beautiful too! As far as laundry room, that’s a personal preference. You could go with all white or something like Accessible Beige (I have this in my house).
We are thinking of using sea salt in our beach condo. We have some gold undertones in tile and upholstery. Will that work with sea salt?
I am painting only 1 wall in my bedroom sea salt and I absolutely love the pink curtains you have in this picture…most of the curtains I am finding are more of a blush pink – can u tell me where u bought these? I live in New Jersey.
Hi Patricia! These are actually a beige/golden color. It might be the photo making them look blush, but they’re more of a golden beige.
Wow…I thought they were a baby pink..lol….and I actually thought they looked so soft and romantic in the bedroom…I might consider golden beige….too…can u tell me where u bought them and what type of fabric are the made of?
Hi Patricia! They’re JC Penney and I don’t recall the exact fabric make-up but I believe it’s a polyester/satin blend. They have a subtle satin sheen.
Thank you …who knew JCP! I was there today looking at curtains….!
Have a great evening….and thanks again…for getting back to me so fast.
Have been wanting to redo living room and ran across your Sea Salt. In my house it is a green color. Do you have any suggestions for a blue version of Sea Salt? any idea what would happen if I added a drop of blue to the original Sea Salt formula?
Thx
Susan
Wondering this same thing
Thinking of painting our walkout basement sea salt. Have a half bath in basement no window . Basement has windows facing west. Would like to pain oakvanity and bathroom walls. Not sure what to do. Thank you!
NAVY BLUE or a DARK GRAY
Hi we are considering painting our ranch SW sea salt with alabaster trim. We have a taupe roof. It has some reddish brick (with taupe in it) on the front with painted cedar shakes in the gable. Im not sure if sea salt will go with the brick? Our home is surrounded by trees so it quite shady. I was going to paint the shutters(which are on the brick) a few shades darker of sea salt and the door a shade thats in the brick. I would like to paint the brick if the HOA will approve it. Im starting to chicken out and am thinking about svelte green and alabaster would be safer, especially if i cant paint the brick. Any suggestions?
I recently built a small ranch in southwest Florida and used Sherwin-Williams comfort gray with white trim for the exterior, (one shade deeper than sea salt on the color strip). The interior is Sherwin-Williams fleur de sel (which means French sea salt), with the exception of the master bedroom and bath. I had that painted in sea salt. My home is a small ranch with open concept so all rooms can be seen from another. I love the flow and have many complements mostly on how calming my home is and how they love the colors. My cabinets are darker – grayish weathered maple giving a rustic look.
This color is so beautiful in your bedroom! Is there a color that you would recommend for a South-facing bedroom, that would look equally beautiful, bright, uplifting, serene and relaxing as Sea Salt?
Hello! I have a leather couch and loveseat identical in color to sw sea salt. What color should I paint the accent wall? It is white now, but we are having crown moulding installed and I’d like to have more of a contrast. Thank you!
I’m so glad to find your post! We’re in the final stages of adding a sunroom right off our dining room. I’m thinking of Agreeable Gray for the sunroom walls and Sea Salt for the vaulted ceiling, a nod to southern porches. Will the Sea Salt be ok to use in the adjoining dining room or will that be too much? Please give me you thoughts. The sunroom is facing east with a side smaller window wall facing north. Thanks so much!
I love Agreeable Grey and chose Sea Salt as an accent color! Beautiful!!
Would. Sea salt be a good color for my front door.it faces the west.
Can you tell me if you used a flat or satin finish? I know Sea Salt looks very different depending on the finish, and I love yours!
Hi Kristen! I used flat!
I have a large basement with no windows. In the bathroom I used Sea Salt. Love it !!! The bedroom and great room will be a completely different lighting and the Sea Salt will have a totally different look. I don’t like the odd tone it will take. Can you suggest a color for this ?
What are your thoughts on Pure White or Alabaster trim for Sea Salt walls? Our living/kitchen/dining room will be Agreeable Gray with White trim. Our kitchen cabinets will have Alabaster cabinets. Does our trim and cabinets have to have the same white? Please help.
I think that would be beautiful! I love white with Sea Salt! It’s very refreshing and crisp. I also love agreeable gray and have that in my upstairs! I try to use the same white when I can around my house, but I do have different trim white than walls white in my house and though you can see the difference slightly, it doesn’t bother me at all.
We are having a historic home renovated and using Sea Salt in Owners Suite. There is an original fireplace with mantle (painting Westhighland White same as trim), The old steel firebox surround will be set against marble and an old summer cover set back in the fire box. Floors are white oak stained like white wash. Can you recommend a color to paint the steel firebox surround as well as the summer cover? I can send a photo if helpful.
Would. Sea salt be a good color for my front door.it faces the west.
I’m desperate for a paint color for my large basement room. There is no natural light (no windows) in there and everything I try looks like a dirty color. I have put Sea Salt in the bathroom and it looks beautiful. Help !!!
I am redoing my living room I have a dark brown couch and loveseat along with brown carpet with a little gray in it. There is hardly any light in the room. It faces East with two windows blocked by a front porch. I currently have painted a sample of agreeable gray on the walls but it is hard to tell how it really looks based on the bad lighting. Do you think this color would work I don’t want it to have a blue undertone. I need it to be brightened up. Or do you have another suggestion. Also what color would work as accents. I am at a loss.
I’m currently painting my kitchen in sea salt and my adjoining family room in accessible beige. I’m looking for cream paint color for my cabinets; my backsplash is more of a light tan color, so I think I need to go more cream than white. Any recommendations on a cream cabinet color that would go with the sea salt?
Would sea salt walls look good with my black bathroom cabinets ?
I’m redoing my living room with all new furniture. I want to paint the Dr. Lr. And Hall in sea salt to brighten up my home. I have a rancher and my design style is farmhouse but I keep my sofa traditional. I’m buying a sectional in darker med grey. It should be delivered in early July. I’m selling all the furniture that I currently have middle of June so my painters can start painting the three rooms. Time wise does that sound right. Also will this color look goof with a farmhouse there of white wood and a darker wood color with a sectional grey sofa very exciting
We used Agreeable Gray in our Great Room and it looks great.
I have Tuscan looking tiles in my
Bathroom with white cabinetry. Do you think sea salt pairs well with those?
We are using sea salt in our bathroom at our lake cottage and wanted a slightly darker color in the adjoining master – would like a calming green – any suggestions that would pair well with beautiful sea salt!
Hi. I am building an open concept home that is mostly all windows. The kitchen/living area is 30×20. The kitchen has white cabinets and white quartz counter tops and backsplash. The island has a white quartz counter top as well. The exterior of my home is sherwin Williams Oceanside. I am thinking of painting the 5×10 kitchen island base Sherwin Williams Oceanside as well and paint all the walls Sea Salt. What do you think? If you think sea salt abs Oceanside coordinate well, what would you recommend to paint the hallway interior doors?
I think that would be beautiful!
I have a very small kitchen and painted my cabinets with sea salt. I love the color but am not sure what olor to paint my walls. Any suggestions?
Hi June! I love a soft white, I have White Umber by PPG on mine!
I am thinking of Sea Salt for the primary rooms (dining, great & kitchen) and would like to use a coordinating blue for the master and coordinating green for the guest rooms. The house is small so I would like to go with lighter shades (i.e, no navy). Any suggestions?
I just did my whole first floor in sea salt. It looks beautiful in every light, not only daylight from all directions from the sun but also with lamps. It definitely shifts colors, which I love. I have white sheers in the living and dining rooms and the sense of serenity is so calming. My house had the feel of a crayola crayon box before so this flowing everywhere just soothes me. TA definitely going In my guest room and hall bath as well. I chose dove white to repaint my kitchen cabinets and can’t wait to see that all done too! It’s a stunning color.