Sherwin Williams Shiitake – The Warm Gray-Beige

The next paint color I’m featuring in my paint color ideas series is Sherwin Williams Shiitake! If you’re not familiar with this paint color series, I have been featuring key paint colors that I always have up my sleeve for client projects. These paint colors have been tried and tested, so you can be rest assured with our recommendations.

Today I’m focusing on Sherwin Williams Shiitake (SW 9173), a wonderful warm gray-beige paint color. This is made up of lots of interesting undertones, resulting in a rich mushroom color that can add sophistication to any space in the home. “Greige” paint colors have been very popular within the interior design industry and many home DIY’ers on Instagram lately, so it seemed only right to feature this paint color in its own article!

Sherwin Williams Shiitake (SW 9173) is actually a gray paint color, however the undertones are made up of green, beige, and red, thus creating a complex paint color. It is a warm neutral that makes any room feel cozy and elegant at the same time. It’s neither too bright or too dark – the perfect balance between the two – and is sure to give you comfort wherever it’s used.

Let’s explore Sherwin Williams Shiitake (SW 9173) a little deeper, and discuss how and where you can use it successfully in your home!

Why We Love Sherwin Williams Shiitake!

We love Sherwin Williams Shiitake (SW 9173) because of the warmth the color brings to a space. With its beige and red undertones, these help to bring the warmth out of the color, providing comfort for the homeowner.

I love this paint color because it can bring balance to a space if the furnishings are predominantly cooler colors. With a Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of 51 it will only reflect an average amount of light so it’s important to consider this carefully, particularly for north facing rooms where natural daylight is limited.

TOP TIP – Always test out new paint colors, in their intended sheen level (flat, eggshell etc), in small patches, on all four walls of the room you intend to use it in. This means you can see how the natural light shifts or changes throughout the day and how this may or may not affect the paint color.

How to Use Shiitake at Home

Sherwin Williams Shiitake can be used throughout the home in a variety of ways. In the first instance, it is a great color to use on walls, but it can also be used for cabinets or trims, depending on the overall finished look you’re looking to achieve.

With the warmth of the Shiitake paint color, it is well suited to naturally light spaces, while the color will create a more intimate feel in naturally darker spaces.

Use Shiitake in any room of the home, as either a feature wall or all over wall paint! This paint color brings warmth to bedrooms, home offices, dining rooms, and even living rooms!

If you do use Shiitake as an allover wall paint in your home, make sure to pair it with a lighter, off-white paint color for the trims to make the color come alive.

What to Watch Out for…

As with any paint color you choose for your home, there are some considerations to take into account when thinking of using Sherwin Williams Shiitake in your home!

The undertones of Shiitake may appear even darker, or slightly more towards red, depending on other colors you use in the space. This can throw the paint color off and appear completely different than you originally wanted. It is really important to test out any new paint color you’re seriously considering for a space to see how it looks with the natural lighting in the space.

While this paint color is really sophisticated and elegant, it’s important to be careful of falling into the “muddy trap”. A lot of interior design trends are pointing towards more neutral and earthy paint colors – which is great – however this can make a space look “muddy” if everything is a shade of the same color. If in doubt, use Shiitake as a feature wall color in a space, with an off-white or lighter shade on the other walls.

Accent Color Pairings

As Sherwin Williams Shiitake is a neutral paint color, it can actually be paired with a variety of other colors! You can make the warm undertones pop by choosing a deep, rich blue or green color (such as Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog – top right), or balance the space out with an off-white (Sherwin Williams Toque White – bottom right).

Shiitake also works really well with other shades of the color, such as Sherwin Williams Dark Clove (top left). This is a rich color that works well with Shiitake to create a well-rounded yet balanced color palette.