Anonymous
SW 7046 · Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams
Anonymous
SW 7046
Subtle yellow-brown, a warm color
- Color family
- Neutral
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Sherwin-Williams Anonymous SW 7046 is a medium-dark warm gray with a subtle yellow-brown undertone. It is the mid point of the strip that runs from Worldly Gray SW 7043 down to Urbane Bronze SW 7048. An LRV of 20 puts it well short of black: on four walls it reads as a definite gray with brown in it, not as a dark plane. It is used on exteriors above all, then in bedrooms and living rooms where a lighter greige feels washed out.
Updated
Is Anonymous warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans yellow
Undertone
Subtle yellow-brown
A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.
Anonymous measures warm with a subtle yellow-brown undertone, the strongest lean on its strip: a hair more than Porpoise SW 7047 and Urbane Bronze SW 7048 below it. At this depth the brown is easy to see, so the color reads as taupe-gray, a gray that is clearly not cold. Beside a warm white and oak it settles into brown-gray; beside cool tile or a gray-white it reads grayer and the yellow shows as a faint khaki cast. It has almost nothing in common with Tricorn Black SW 6258 and Iron Ore SW 7069 beyond being sold as dark. Those are neutral near-blacks; Anonymous is a wall gray with more than three times the light of Iron Ore. Solitary Slate SW 9598 is a match too close to tell apart.
Anonymous in north, south, east and west light
Anonymous is at its best in south and west rooms, where afternoon light brings the yellow-brown up and it reads as a warm, creamy gray. In a north-facing room it goes a step grayer and darker than the chip and can look like a cooler gray with a khaki edge. The warmth keeps it from turning cold, but pair it with a warm white trim there. East rooms show the brown at breakfast and lose it by afternoon. Late west sun can push it toward a golden taupe. Keep bulbs at 2700K to 3000K; at 4000K the color goes flat and gray.
Watch for
- In a north room it reads as a cooler gray with a faint khaki cast, darker than the chip.
- Late west sun turns it golden for an hour, so sample it at the time the room is used.
- Beside a yellow-beige like Accessible Beige SW 7036 the two can blur into one color; it wants a lighter or cooler partner.
Best rooms and surfaces for Anonymous
Anonymous is a wall color first. In a living room or dining room it gives the deep, warm gray that Agreeable Gray SW 7029 users move to when they want more weight. It still reads as gray under lamps. In a bedroom it makes a quiet, enclosed room without going dark; Shoji White SW 7042 trim and a light rug keep it comfortable. On cabinets it reads as a soft taupe that suits warm counters and brass. Against white quartz it can look dull, and Porpoise SW 7047 or Urbane Bronze SW 7048 give more contrast there. An accent wall in a bathroom with a window works. It sits well with white oak, walnut, leather and warm stone; with cool blue-gray tile or chrome it looks out of place, and a narrow windowless hallway turns it dingy.
Anonymous on an exterior
Anonymous is in the Top Exterior Colors collection, and its exterior searches outnumber its interior ones. It suits a house with stone, brick, cedar accents and a brown or gray roof, where the warm gray ties the materials together instead of contrasting with them. Shoji White SW 7042 trim keeps the scheme soft; Extra White SW 7006 gives a crisper outline and reads a little cool against it. For the door, Urbane Bronze SW 7048 stays in the family and Iron Ore SW 7069 adds a harder contrast. Shutters in Anonymous on a white house read as a warm mid gray rather than a dark.
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Anonymous vs Urbane Bronze, Porpoise and Dried Thyme
Urbane BronzeAnonymousAnonymous vs Urbane Bronze SW 7048
Anonymous is much lighter; both have a subtle yellow-brown undertone.
Urbane Bronze SW 7048 is two steps down the same strip and far darker, an LRV of 8 against 20. Both lean yellow-brown, and Anonymous carries a little more of it. On a wall Urbane Bronze reads as a warm charcoal; Anonymous reads as a warm gray. Pick Urbane Bronze for a door, cabinets or a house that should read dark. Pick Anonymous for four walls or a whole house that should read gray, and use the two together for a body-and-door scheme.
PorpoiseAnonymousAnonymous vs Porpoise SW 7047
Anonymous is noticeably lighter; both have a subtle yellow-brown undertone.
Porpoise SW 7047 is the next color down the strip, one shade darker at an LRV of 13, with the same warm lean. Porpoise reads as a dark taupe-gray that feels moody on four walls; Anonymous reads as a medium-dark gray that stays easy to live with. Pick Porpoise for a bedroom or office meant to feel enclosed. Pick Anonymous for a living room or an exterior that should stay clearly gray in shade.
Dried ThymeAnonymousAnonymous vs Dried Thyme SW 6186
Anonymous is a touch darker; undertone subtle yellow-brown vs noticeable yellow-leaning green.
Dried Thyme SW 6186 sits at almost the same depth, an LRV of 21. It is a muted olive green with a noticeable yellow lean where Anonymous is a warm gray. Beside each other, Dried Thyme reads green and Anonymous reads taupe. Choose Dried Thyme for cabinets or an exterior meant to read as a color. Choose Anonymous for a neutral that pairs with more furniture and floors and does not commit to green.
Questions about Anonymous
Is Anonymous gray or brown?
Gray, with brown in it. Anonymous measures as a warm gray with a subtle yellow-brown undertone, so most people call it taupe-gray or a greige gone dark. Next to a cool gray it looks brown; next to walnut or a tan sofa it looks gray. Sherwin-Williams files it in the neutral family, not with the browns.
What colors go with Anonymous?
Sherwin-Williams lists Shoji White SW 7042 for trim and ceilings and names Muslin SW 6133 and Polvo de Oro SW 9012, a warm gold, as accents. Its own strip makes the easiest palette: Worldly Gray SW 7043 or Amazing Gray SW 7044 on lighter walls, Urbane Bronze SW 7048 on a door. It sits well with white oak, walnut, leather, warm stone and brass.
What is one shade lighter than Anonymous?
Felted Wool SW 9171 is the next color up the fan-deck strip, a step from an LRV of 20 to 28 that reads as a clear medium gray. One shade darker is Porpoise SW 7047. Among its closest matches, Adaptive Shade SW 7053 is a touch lighter and Solitary Slate SW 9598 is a near twin at the same depth.
Is Anonymous good for a bedroom?
Yes, and it is one of the easier dark grays for a bedroom because it stays a gray rather than a black. On four walls it makes the room feel enclosed and warm under 2700K lamps, and Shoji White SW 7042 trim and light bedding keep it from feeling heavy. In a north-facing bedroom expect a cooler, darker gray with a khaki edge.
Does Anonymous work on a whole house?
Yes. In full sun a whole house in Anonymous reads as a warm medium gray, lighter and browner than the chip, and the shaded elevations go to a deeper taupe-gray. It never looks black from the street, which is the reason to choose it over Urbane Bronze SW 7048 for the body color. Put the darker step on the door instead.
Get a sample before you paint
Use the visualizer to narrow your shortlist, then confirm the finalist on your actual wall. A peel-and-stick sample of Anonymous, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.
- Made with real paint
- Delivered next day
- Peels off clean
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