Read all about City Loft, plus see 28 real homes that use it!
When it comes to interior paint colors, what colors are you drawn to? What colors do you stay away from? Many people love whites, off-whites, beiges, greiges, and grays. Likewise, many people shy away from (okay, run as if their life depends on it) from pinks and purples or colors that have strong pink or purple undertones.
Me? When used to its benefit, I love a good pastel-base color. And it just happens that Sherwin Williams City Loft (SW 7631) is a color in the Sherwin Williams White and Pastels Collection.
Don’t panic, though. Looking at it, you would never guess it’s from a pastel collection. It’s a soft, neutral greige with fun undertones that make it very playful and desirable in the right lighting situations.
This popular greige color is going to be so much fun to explore! Let’s dive in to learn more and see if this transitional pastel paint is ideal for your home.
FAQs About City Loft
What color is Sherwin Williams City Loft?
City Loft is a true chameleon color (some would use the word ‘transitional’). The lighting and the surrounding colors will greatly impact how this paint color reads.
Keep in mind that the changing light throughout the day can affect how the color looks within the same room, too!
Is SW City Loft warm or cool?
Thanks to its undertones, City Loft is a warm color. Although there are times when it can read cooler, when you put it up next to a truly cool color, it will always read warm.
What are the undertones in Sherwin Williams City Loft?
City Loft by Sherwin Williams has beautiful and interesting undertones that can make it read in a variety of ways, depending on the lighting. In different situations, the gray, beige, brown, and red-pink undertones can make City Loft look beige, gray, taupe, pink, peach, or even purple!
NOTE: I recommend getting paint swatches for every color you consider painting in your home, but I stress it even more strongly for chameleon colors like SW City Loft.
If you think this color might work in your home, grab a sample (my favorite type are these re-usable, re-positionable peel and stick paint samples) to make sure City Loft doesn’t read as pink when you want greige or purple when you had your heart set on gray.
Where should I use SW City Loft?
Since it’s a light neutral shade, this color can work in nearly any part of or room in the house. It could even be used in the entire house for a cohesive vibe!
This color really shines in traditional, modern, farmhouse, and even French country-style homes.
If undertones make your head hurt, you’re not alone! Grab your free copy of 5 Biggest Paint Choice Mistakes Click here or enter your email below. I’ll send the tips right away!⤵️
Great Coordinating Colors For City Loft
This color looks terrific with other neutrals, including white, cream, beige, brown, and wood tone colors. It can also work well with bold navy and dark gray or black colors.
I don’t recommend using it with bright colors or earthy, Tuscan colors as they will likely pull out some undesirable undertones.
If you’re looking for specific coordinating colors, check out any on this list:
- Snowbound
- Connor’s Lakefront
- Requisite Gray
- Taupe Tone
- Mindful Gray
- Garret Gray
- Evening Shadow
- Dorian Gray
- Silvermist
- Sea Salt
- Worldly Gray
- Rice Grain
- Sand Trap
- Perfect Greige
- Rainwashed
- Cityscape
- Accessible Beige
- Peppercorn
The best way to be sure of any shade is…drumroll…to sample it! (Did you see that coming?) My recommendation for samples is using these re-usable, re-positionable, peel and stick samples that won’t damage your walls, and you can easily move around your room to see what the paint looks like on each wall ⤵
LRV Of Sherwin Williams City Loft SW 7631
Let’s take a quick look at the numbers for City Loft paint. Visually, paint is subjective, to say the least! I recommend combining objective evaluation methods with subjective ones to get a more complete idea of just what this paint may look like in your home.
Light Reflectance Value (LRV) is a number ranging between 0 and 100. Each color has an assigned LRV number to indicate how much light a color reflects.
Zero represents pure black because it doesn’t reflect ANY light, while 100 represents pure white because it reflects ALL the light.
To simplify it, darker shades have lower LRV numbers, and lighter shades have higher LRV numbers.
The LRV of SW City Loft = 70
This value puts it firmly in the medium-light category. It reflects lots of light but is still dark enough to read as soft rather than stark or blindingly bright. It will look good against brighter (warm) whites as well as paired with darker colors.
LRV…what? Don’t worry, I’ve got you! Grab a FREE copy of my new guide to avoid the paint color picking mistakes people make! Click here or enter your email below. I’ll send the tips right away!⤵️
City Loft Compared to Other Colors
Putting close-looking paint colors side by side is the best way to really see the undertones of each individual color. Here’s how Sherwin Williams City Loft stacks up against three other popular paint color choices.
Sherwin Williams City Loft vs Drift Of Mist
With an LRV of 69, Sherwin Williams Drift Of Mist is just a teensy bit darker than City Loft’s LRV of 70. They may have a similar LRV value, but where these colors really differ from each other is in their undertones.
City Loft has gray, beige, brown, and pink-red undertones, while Drift Of Mist has beige and green undertones. So, City Loft can have the tendency to read as pink or purple, and Drift Of Mist can read as green from time to time.
Sherwin Williams City Loft vs Agreeable Gray
City Loft’s LRV of 70 is noticeably brighter than SW Agreeable Gray’s LRV of 60. Both colors have strong gray and strong beige undertones.
Although they’re both warm, when you put them side by side, Agreeable Gray reads as more gray than City Loft does. But, they look equally stunning in the right lighting.
Sherwin Williams City Loft vs Modern Gray
With an LRV of 62, Modern Gray is a bit darker than City Loft.
They may both be neutral greige colors, however, Modern Gray tends to read pinker than City Loft in a variety of lighting situations.
More Colors To Consider
Still don’t know if you’ve found the one? Check out some of these other pretty grays!
- Dorian Gray (Sherwin Williams) – warm, mid-toned gray
- Mindful Gray (Sherwin Williams) – a warm gray that leans taupe
- Gray Owl (Benjamin Moore) – an unassuming classic light gray
- Chelsea Gray (Benjamin Moore) – a warm, dark gray
- Iron Ore (Sherwin Williams) – a stormy, deep gray
- Light French Gray (Sherwin Willaims) – not too warm or too cool
- Peppercorn (Sherwin Williams) – a pretty charcoal shade
- Urbane Bronze (Sherwin Williams) – another dark, moody gray/black & Sherwin Williams 2021 Color of the Year
Feeling lost? I gotcha, boo! Grab a FREE copy of my new guide to avoid the paint color picking mistakes people make! Click here or enter your email below. I’ll send the tips right away!⤵️
28 Real Life Homes Using City Loft
Now we get to the good stuff! Seeing how the paint looks in real homes is a helpful way to help you narrow down all your choices so you can finally pick what you want.
Let’s see real-life examples of how this paint appears in different lighting situations and decor styles as I show you 28 real homes using Sherwin Williams City Loft paint.
A quick note here: don’t forget to consider picking the right paint finish…it’s not only about getting the color right! We have an in-depth explanation of choosing sheens here.
City Loft Painted Bedrooms
1. Reacts to Surrounding Shades
I DID mention that City Loft from Sherwin Williams is a chameleon color, didn’t I? We’re jumping out of the game and straight into one of the less common ways that this color can read.
Here its reads as gray with maybe just a smidge of green thanks to the surrounding decor. While it looks a little cool here, it’s still warm enough to give that soft, pastel feel.
2. Warm Master Bedroom in City Loft
Ah! Here’s where City Loft excels. Its soft pastel glow is perfect for a bedroom – especially one with yellow artificial light.
See how it changes between the light and the shadow in this space from Stylish Revamp? Above the bed, it reads a warm gray while its beige roots shine through in the areas hit by the light. The beige in the surrounding decor may give it a push toward beige too. 😉
3. True Greige
A true greige… In this lighting and surrounded by gray and black decor, Sherwin Williams City Loft reads as a warm gray with just a nudge of beige. It’s light, bright, and comfortable. Perfect for a bedroom!
4. Girl’s Nursery Painted SW City Loft
This color is light enough to almost be off-white. In the areas where the cool north-facing light is hitting the walls, the color looks white. By contrast, in the shadows, its gray nature peers through.
It’s a great choice for a nursery, like this one seen at Project Nursery, as long as the furnishings aren’t bold and bright!
5. Soft Gray Bedroom Walls
This room is another example of City Loft’s chameleon nature. In the areas flooded with natural light, it reads as a soft gray-tinged off-white.
However, you can see in the shadows that it’s just dark enough to contrast with the white crown molding, the trim color, and the ceiling.
6. Hints of Beige
When surrounded with warm yellows, pinks, and wood-tone colors, Sherwin Williams City Loft tends to read more beige than gray. We can see why people say there are brown undertones in this shade that show through from time to time.
Can you see the difference in the lighting and how it makes the paint read near the window? The cool natural light makes the paint look grayer there.
7. Nursery with Sherwin Williams City Loft Walls
The blues and greens in this room from Restyle it Wright pull out a smidge of those green undertones that City Loft has, but you rarely see.
It’s a soft color that plays nicely by sitting in the background so the bolder colors can become the focus.
Kitchen and Dining Rooms in Sherwin Williams City Loft
8. Beautiful with Brick
SW City Loft looks amazing with brick, wood tones and browns. They really help to pull out the beige undertones in the color.
But because this color also has gray undertones, it can help straddle the divide between grays and browns and create a cohesive look.
9. Kitchen Cabinets in SW City Loft
Bright, natural light tends to wash colors out, and that’s what’s happening here in this stunning kitchen from Kate Marker Interiors.
Instead of looking gray on the cabinets, City Loft by Sherwin Williams looks like a soft white, which is the perfect balance for the dark black and brass accent pieces.
10. A City Slicker that’s Friendly with Farmhouse Style
City Loft is the perfect choice in this farmhouse dining room. Thanks to the indirect natural light and the wood tones, it reads as a lovely greige that’s subtle but has just enough color to be timeless.
11. Dining Room with City Loft Walls
You can see that chameleon quality coming out again in this dining room from DIY Playbook! The color varies significantly between where the light hits the paint and the shadows hit it.
Overall, though, thanks to the black frames and other accent pieces, the paint reads more gray than beige here.
12. Great Color on Cabinets
In the second photo here, the upper cabinets in this kitchen remodel are painted in City Loft (base cabinet shade is Armory from PPG).
Thanks to the surrounding beige and taupe decor, it reads as almost creamy, making a good bridge color for the white counters and beige walls.
SW City Loft Living Spaces
13. Stunning on Shiplap
Thanks to the low natural light and blend of brown and black in the surrounding decor, Sherwin Williams City Loft reads as a very light gray on the wall, which works very well to help create a cohesive space.
Oh, and if you love the shiplap, we’ve got lots more shiplap accent wall ideas to see!
14. Sherwin Williams City Loft Living Room
Okay. I love examples like this one that show this color’s chameleon qualities so well. The paint reads as greige on the wall in front of the staircase where the natural light hits it, and it’s surrounded by wood tones.
By contrast, the wall around the window that’s covered in shadow reads as a light gray. It actually highlights the view looking out the window!
This color is perfect and stunning in this room from Daniela Pluviati.
15. Contrasts with White Trim Color
Rooms bathed in yellow artificial light always seem so cozy and homey to me. City Loft plays well with all the different lighting factors going on here: beige in the yellow light, gray in the shadows, and tying everything from the stone fireplace to the leather couch and wood floors together expertly.
And all the while, it has enough saturation to contrast with white trims and ceilings.
16. Looks Great in Well-Lit Living Rooms
A room like this one with so many windows that let in a flood of natural light demands a paint color that doesn’t run the risk of being too bright.
City Loft is THE perfect choice here. It’s light but not too light and projects a relaxed vibe that’s very difficult to achieve in a room like this one.
Bathrooms Painted City Loft
17. Soft White in a Hall Bathroom
The small window letting in cool natural light combined with the wood makes this bathroom read as a soft white. That just goes to show you how light City Loft can look when it wants to!
18. SW City Loft Bathroom Walls
If you don’t love purple undertones of City Loft, you won’t want to use mauve as an accent color as this bathroom has.
However, I love this example from Rock Solid Rustic because it shows just how subtle the undertones really are. No one would ever look at the walls and say they’re purple.
19. Cozy Bathroom Color
This bathroom remodel is stunning! City Loft shines here as the light greige background color to help create an airy (and cozy) room. It’s hard to achieve “coziness” in a bathroom, right? Somehow this paint color does it.
Sherwin Williams’ City Loft Exteriors
20. Warm Paint Color Against Cool White Trim
From a distance, this exterior probably reads as white. However, closeup, you can see the beige undertones up against the wood accent.
21. Shutters in Sherwin Williams City Loft
When you want to make a bold statement in a subtle way, think about using City Loft. The shutters on this example from Telich Custom Homes don’t stand out like they would if they were painted black, and yet they still stand out. The greige against the white is beautiful.
22. Inviting Exterior Paint Shade
Wow. What color would look better than City Loft here? I can’t think of one. It reads as soft and wonderfully greige against all the eye-catching accent colors.
City Loft Laundry Rooms
23. Laundry Room Walls in City Loft
Okay, first, I just have to say… what a laundry room! This room from One Kin Design just might be the dream design.
For its part, City Loft reads as a soft off-white which helps keep the room light and bright without feeling like a hospital corridor.
24. Sherwin Williams City Loft Laundry Space
With such bright natural light, any brighter color would be almost painful to look at.
City Loft is a wonderful choice in this space from Melissa Roberts Interiors that reads as off-white on most of the wall but slightly greige near the top in the shadows.
Other Spaces in CW City Loft
25. City Loft Entryway
The splotchy yellow lighting makes the paint read almost as if it’s on a pendulum going around the room: gray…greige…gray…greige, etc. I love the boldly colored door!
26. Mudroom Painted SW City Loft
This room from Houzz is probably the only time I’ve seen City Loft look so pink. The effect of the warm lighting creates a beautifully subtle feminine mudroom.
And it’s also a reminder to use those paint swatches before committing to a color!
27. City Loft in a Stairway
City Loft exceeds expectations in large open stairwells too! This area is stunning with the black railing and other accents.
28. Sherwin Williams City Loft Paint Mudroom
I love this room from Marnie Homes! Note: these bricks are the boldest I would pair with City Loft.
The earthy tones have just enough coral/pink in them that you can see slight pink undertones coming through in the paint.
Will Sherwin Williams City Loft be just what your space needs to take it from bleh to va-va-vroom?
I hope this color study and these real-life examples inspire you to test this color to see how it would look in your own home!
Seriously considering this shade? Make sure to sample first! I highly recommend these re-usable, re-positionable peel and stick samples👇
Pin this paint color for later! And if you use this paint shade, leave a comment on the pin! That helps others decide if they want to try this color, too!
Ready to show those boring, beige walls who’s the boss at home? Grab my free guide to help you sidestep the mistakes that almost everyone makes when it comes to picking paint! You’ll be on your way to perfect paint promptly…pinky swear.
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