Read all about Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice, plus see 18 real homes that use it!
Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice (SW 7647) is a light gray paint color that, at first glance, seems very neutral but holds a few tricks up its sleeve.
I love beautiful neutral paint colors because they create stunning, timeless color palettes that can simultaneously tie all your decor together while highlighting the pieces you want to shine.
And throughout the course of publishing my paint series, I’ve done in-depth reviews of many neutrals because they can be surprisingly complex.
Subtle differences can make a big impact on a color that will live on your walls, and the last thing you want to do is invest a bunch of time and money in choosing new paint colors only to discover that you hate the way they look in your home!
I hope this series of paint reviews help make your paint color selection process faster, easier, and more successful! Today I’m highlighting a shade that I believe is underused and underrated: Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice.
What color is Crushed Ice?
Crushed Ice is a warm, pastel off-white hue that often reads as a soft, neutral gray. This shade is also a bit of a contradiction because the name implies that it will display chilly vibes, and it couldn’t be further from reality.
SW Crushed Ice is a fairly balanced shade with warm undertones that create a cozy and inviting atmosphere. And because it’s light and airy, it’s an ideal color to make small spaces feel larger than they are.
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FAQs about Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice
What other colors are similar to Crushed Ice?
Finding color matches between brands isn’t a walk in the park because paint colors are nuanced! Paint color mixing creates noticeable shifts in depth, temperature, and undertones.
If you want a Benjamin Moore equivalent to Crushed Ice, check out Benjamin Moore Moonshine.
Is Sherwin Williams’s Crushed Ice warm or cool?
Crushed Ice is a balanced neutral that leans warm. It’s a light gray shade with deep warm undertones. At times it can lean cool, but its warmth lends a soft, inviting quality to the shade.
Where should I use Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice?
There is nowhere that you can’t use this shade. As a light to medium hue, Crushed Ice adds an ideal chic touch to any corner of your home, including:
Cabinets
Kitchens
Interior doors
Family rooms
Living rooms
Laundry rooms
Bedrooms
Bathrooms
Hallways
Playrooms
Crushed Ice is a beautiful neutral shade that is made for modern homes. It will also look stunning in transitional, rustic, traditional, Scandinavian, contemporary, and Modern farmhouse homes.
Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice Undertones
This is where Crushed Ice gets really interesting.
Since it’s a fairly balanced color, it doesn’t strongly commit to undertones, which means it can exhibit a few different undertones given the right opportunity.
Most of the time, it will look like a light but stormy gray. However, with the right lighting, it can appear as a stunning blue-gray-green. It will tend to favor a green undertone, but don’t be surprised when it flashes a surprise wink of violet!
Although Crushed Ice is more reliable than Benjamin Moore Pale Oak, it is a bit of a chameleon.
I have a powerful tool to help you choose paint colors that you’ll love with confidence. Paint swatches (I love these simple peel-and-stick samples) can show without a doubt how shades will look in your home under the influence of your light exposure and decor. With paint swatches, you won’t have any unpleasant surprises!
Plus, these swatches are a breeze to safely remove and reposition without damaging your walls. They truly work wonders to prevent paint choice regrets!
If undertones make your head ache, you’re not alone! Grab your no-cost copy of “5 Biggest Paint Choice Mistakes” Click here or enter your email below. I’ll send the tips right away!⤵️
How Different Types of Lighting Affect Sherwin Williams’s Crushed Ice
Natural light temperature and exposure shift throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky.
The huge impact of lighting is why I strongly caution against expecting ANY paint color to appear the same in two different areas or at different times of the day.
Here’s an idea of how you can expect Crushed Ice may look on your walls based on different types of natural lighting.
- North-facing light – cool, blue-tinted northern light will allow Crushed Ice to lean into its cool gray side. It will maintain slight passive warmth, which will look “soft.”
- South-facing light – warm yellow southern light will allow this hue to appear brighter and lean into its warm side. It won’t look overly warm, though.
- East-facing light – eastern light is warm and yellow in the morning and cool and blue-tinted in the afternoon. This shifting light exposure and temperature will let those undertones show up more frequently.
- West-facing light – expect cooler light in the morning and very warm light later in the day. Crushed Ice will show off its chameleon nature with the shifting light.
Great Coordinating Colors for Crushed Ice
Crushed Ice may be neutral, but it has a complex side and can be a little finicky with color pairings. It will reliably look great with most whites, some blue-gray-greens, and many complementary off-whites.
Try checking out these shades to use with Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice:
- Extra White
- Magnetic Gray
- Mountain Road
- Cityscape
- Comfort Gray
- Distance
- Misty
- Special Gray
- Passive
- Argos
- Tin Lizzie
- Software
- Intuitive
- White Truffle
- Pure White
LRV of Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice (SW 7647)
LRV is an abbreviation for “light reflective value.” Why does anyone care about LRV numbers? Well, this number gives an objective way of measuring how much light a shade reflects. In other words, it’ll give you a reliable way of guessing how light or dark a shade will appear in your home.
LRV ranges from 0 – 100. A color with an LRV of 0 is pure black. On the opposite end of the spectrum, an LRV of 100 is the brightest white you can imagine.
The LRV of Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice = 66
This LRV value firmly places SW Crushed Ice in the light end of the spectrum. It won’t look too dark in rooms with low light levels, but you can expect it to wash out in bright lighting.
LRV…what? Don’t worry, I’ve got you! This no-cost guide will help you avoid the paint color picking mistakes most people make! Click here or enter your email below. I’ll send the tips right away!⤵️
Crushed Ice Compared to Other Colors
Let’s explore this hue a little deeper by comparing it to some close paint colors so we can highlight the unique qualities of each. This section can be helpful if you’re waffling between two similar shades.
Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice vs. Agreeable Gray
To kick things off, let’s compare Crushed Ice to the beautiful and popular Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray (SW 7021).
Agreeable Gray is a warm greige with an LRV of 60. Although it’s a little darker than Crushed Ice, Agreeable Gray is a warmer shade that has beige undertones.
If you’re looking for a shade with a hint more saturation or warmth, go with Agreeable Gray. But, if something more balanced is what you seek, Crushed Ice may be a better fit.
Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice vs. On The Rocks
Sherwin Williams On The Rocks (SW 7161) has an LRV of 62, making it darker than Crushed Ice. In addition to being darker, On The Rocks has deeper gray undertones with a hint of purple.
Think of On The Rocks as the cool-leaning, gray equivalent to Agreeable Gray.
Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice vs. Repose Gray
Sherwin Williams Repose Gray (SW 7015) has an LRV of 58, which makes it darker than Crushed Ice.
Although both shades are fairly balanced, Crushed Ice reads slightly warmer and less pigmented than Repose Gray.
More Colors to Consider
Picking paint colors can be overwhelming and time-consuming! If you just aren’t ready to give Crushed Ice the “green light” at this point, check out these other lovely light to medium neutral shades.
- Drift Of Mist (Sherwin Williams) – a medium to light greige.
- Shoreline (Benjamin Moore) – a light gray-leaning greige.
- Pale Oak (Benjamin Moore) – a light, neutral greige with shifting undertones.
- Alabaster (Benjamin Moore) – a soft, creamy off-white.
- Worldly Gray (Sherwin Williams) – a popular mid-toned greige.
- Alpaca (Sherwin Williams) – a cool, taupe-leaning greige.
- Anew Gray (Sherwin Williams) – a soft, light to medium warm greige.
- Chelsea Gray (Benjamin Moore) – a velvety rich medium to dark gray.
- Dorian Gray (Sherwin Williams) – a warm, neutral medium gray.
- Revere Pewter (Benjamin Moore) – a dark (perhaps overused) greige.
- Mindful Gray (Sherwin Williams) – a warm greige with taupe undertones.
- Olympus White (Sherwin Williams) – a light, cool-toned gray with subtle blue undertones.
Feeling lost? I gotcha, boo! Get a zero-cost 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!⤵️
Real Life Homes Using Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice
Ok, it’s time to move from the information overload portion of this ride to the fun part! You need the background information to help you make an informed choice. After that, you need to SEE a color in real examples to see how it behaves and shifts.
Are you still working on that cup of coffee? Here are real homes and spaces using Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice for you to check out!
Living Spaces with SW Crushed Ice
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.
1. Perfectly Neutral in Formal Living Room
Restyle it Wright made a smart choice by using Crushed Ice in this small living room. It’s a shade that makes a small space looks much more spacious and works well in both formal and casual rooms.
2. Balanced in Natural Light
Notice how this shade shifts between bright daytime light and nighttime in this living room from @adamsvalleyview. It definitely washes out in the bright natural lighting and appears perfectly neutral.
3. Right at Home in Casual Space
Girl Loves Glam shows us that Crushed Ice can do it all: formal, casual, and more! It makes the ideal background shade so that colorful decor pieces can shine.
Bedrooms Using Crushed Ice Paint
In general for bedrooms, and low-traffic areas, flat paint is fine. If you like something with a bit of shine (and more ease of cleaning) opt for eggshell or satin.
4. Bit of Blue Peeking Through
Check out the wink of blue that’s peeping through in this bedroom from Perfectly Imperfect, thanks to the wall decor. It’s just subtle enough to add a hint of color to this neutral shade!
5. A Total Greige
Most of the time, Crushed Ice would be classified as gray instead of greige. However, as Life Figured Out demonstrates, lighting has a huge impact on how paint colors appear.
The warm yellow-tinted lighting makes Crushed Ice appear greige here.
6. Gorgeous Subtle Contrast with White Trim
Style by Emily Henderson chose SW Crushed Ice for this bright bedroom. It washes out but still provides enough saturation to contrast the trim and coordinate with the surrounding neutral decor.
Kid’s Spaces feat Crushed Ice by SW
7. Warm Backdrop for Bright Accents
Sisters Suitcase Blog has less natural light in this nursery, which allows Crushed Ice to read gray rather than off-white. Talk about a gender-neutral color choice!
8. A Comfortable Place to Play
The warm artificial lighting and brown accent colors in this room from @homelovetoledo draw out the warm undertones in Crushed Ice.
9. Slightly Changes as the Light Moves
Homemade Lovely shows us why Crushed Ice is often classified as off-white. Even when it’s washed out, it still maintains enough saturation to provide subtle background color.
Crushed Ice Kitchens
For kitchens, eggshell or satin are popular finish choices for walls. For cabinets consider semi-gloss or high gloss for the most durable finish (and a gorgeous glow).
10. Creamy, Dreamy Cabinets
South Harlow gave this drool-worthy rustic kitchen a warm and cozy feel by painting the cabinets in SW Crushed Ice. Stunning!
11. Ideal Contrast in Bright White Kitchen
I love this color tie-in from Andrea M. Frack! The walls and kitchen island are both painted in Crushed Ice, which shows off those white cabinets even more.
Dining Rooms in SW Crushed Ice
12. Perfect Tone in this Kitchen Nook
When your decor demands a paint color that can flex between cool tones and warm tones, turn to Crushed Ice as Texture Design Co. did. I love the subtle warmth that the wood tones pull out.
13. Beautiful Pairing with Deep Blue Built-In
Newport Lane Blog chose a gorgeous navy blue to pair with Crushed Ice for the decor makeover win. Love!
14. Almost White in Well-Lit Space
Timeless. Subtle. Airy. Chic. This room from Kaitlyn H. Parker has it all in spades, thanks to SW Crushed Ice on the walls.
Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice Bathrooms
Don’t forget the finish! For bathrooms the perfect sheen is either an eggshell or satin. Why? We’ll tell you in this post about paint sheen.
15. Warm Reflection
The Hamm Homestead complemented the warmth of the wood tones by using Crushed Ice on the walls to create a neutral and spacious small bathroom.
16. Slightly Blue Powder Room
It’s not often that we get to see the blue undertones as strongly as they’re peeking out in Chernees House‘s bathroom. I love the subtle color.
Crushed Ice in Other Spaces
17. A Modern Take on Greige
Are you wanting to give your home a modern makeover? Take a page out of @crystalsatrianophoto‘s interior design book and check out Crushed Ice.
18. Lovely Exterior Paint
Since Crushed Ice can wash out so much in addition to being highly influenced by surrounding colors, I don’t normally recommend using it as an exterior color. However, this house from @coachs_daughter looks lovely in this shade.
If you’re searching for a light to medium gorgeous neutral shade, Crushed Ice may be the ideal option for updating your home. Please grab some peel and stick paint samples of this chic shade to see how it will appear in your home!
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, bland walls who’s the boss at home? This no-cost guide will help you sidestep mistakes that almost everyone makes when it comes to picking paint! You’ll be on your way to perfect paint promptly…pinky swear.
Mary Ann Bove says
I am going crazy! I saw crushed Ice I think in a model home. Loved the color. Someone else said it was mindful gray? Anyway, I have a sapphire wall and loved the balboa mist painted in the room next to it, but it gives off a lot of violet hues. Trying to find something complimentary for my living room and dining room (where one wall is sapphire) and my floors are greige tile. I just can’t find the right color. I’m looking for a balboa mist color without the violet hues. Helppppp is there such a color? Here’s what I have tried so far, Agreeable gray, Crushed Ice, Balboa mist, Classic beige, Edgecomb gray, Drift of mist, albescent, Revere pewter, cedar cay, and dove gray. I have so many samples I have no more space on my walls to paint them! Any suggestions ? (I guess I’m leaning more towards beige then gray since I have a creamy light sofa? I don’t care any more! 🙁
Heather Thibodeau says
Hi Mary Ann! I get it. It can be overwhelming. YES, Crushed Ice and Balboa Mist both give off violet vibes, so steer clear. It sounds like you’re leaning into pretty saturated (darker) neutral hues. I agree that greiges are the way to go if you’re trying to work with a creamy sofa. If you want your sapphire wall to really stand out, I’d lean toward a bit of a lighter neutral, personally. I think you have the right idea with Edgecomb Gray, although if it were my room, I’d probably go a bit lighter. Have you looked at BM Classic Gray? Agreeable Gray, Mindful Gray are both other popular greiges, also on the dark side, so those may be up your alley. I’d steer clear of Drift of Mist, Dove Gray and Revere Pewter in your situation, personally. Hope that helps.