Debonair
SW 9139 · Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams
Debonair
SW 9139
Subtle blue, a cool color
- Color family
- Blue
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Sherwin-Williams Debonair SW 9139 sits in the middle of its strip, a medium blue-gray with an LRV of 34 that absorbs a little more light than it reflects, so a room of it feels enclosed rather than bright. Our method reads it as a subtle blue with nearly as much green as blue, the balance that makes it look like faded chambray instead of a cold blue. It is used on bedroom walls, in bathrooms and on cabinets.
Source: Sherwin-Williams's color data. Undertone labels describe our calculation, not the paint formula or a test in your room. How we assess colors.
Is Debonair warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans blue
Undertone
Subtle blue
A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.
Debonair's digital swatch combines blue and green in a muted color, rather than a vivid aqua. That balance is why it reads as a soft, faded blue rather than a clear one. Against a crisp white trim it is a blue-gray. Against a warm white, cream or a tan sofa the blue comes up and it looks cooler. Beside warm oak, brass or terracotta the green comes forward and it reads closer to a dusty aqua; beside gray tile or charcoal it goes plain gray. Meditative SW 6227 is a touch lighter and greener; Let it Rain SW 9152 is the same depth with much of the color removed, a gray with a blue tint.
Debonair in different lighting
A north-facing room is where Debonair is most likely to disappoint: the cool light drains the green, the blue goes flat and a medium color like this can look like a dull gray by afternoon, so sample the wall farthest from the window and plan on 2700K to 3000K bulbs. South light suits it best; the warmth brings out the green and the wall reads as the soft chambray on the chip. East rooms are pleasant in the morning and cool later; west rooms look gray until the afternoon sun arrives. Under 4000K bulbs it turns steely.
Watch for
- Goes dull gray in a north room by mid-afternoon
- Reads closer to dusty aqua beside warm oak, brass or terracotta
- Turns steely and cold under 4000K bulbs or beside gray tile
Best rooms and surfaces for Debonair
Debonair is a bedroom wall color first: at a medium depth it makes the room feel enclosed and quiet without going dark, and it takes white bedding, walnut or oak and brass well. In a bathroom it suits white tile, marble-look surfaces and a warm wood vanity; with gray tile and cool LEDs it turns cold. On cabinets it reads as a soft, faded blue in a satin finish, lighter than a navy and easier in a small kitchen, though it wants white walls to keep the room from going gray on gray. A living room needs good daylight for it; on four walls of a dim room it flattens. As an accent wall it is too close to a neutral to make a strong statement; it is better as a whole-room color.
Debonair on an exterior
Sherwin-Williams sells Debonair for exterior use, and on siding it reads as a soft blue-gray, lighter in full sun and closer to slate in shade, so the shaded side of the house reads darker than the chip. It is a gentle exterior blue that does not shout and works with white trim in Extra White SW 7006, a natural wood door and gray stone. For a darker door or shutters, Waterloo SW 9141, from the bottom of its own strip, is the natural match.
Try Debonair on your own walls
Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Debonair onto the walls for an illustrative preview beside your floors and furniture. Confirm the color with a physical sample. Your first 3 renders are free.
Debonair vs Stardew, Evergreen Fog and Storm Cloud
StardewDebonairDebonair vs Stardew SW 9138
Debonair is noticeably darker; both fall in our subtle blue category. Based on published LRV and our swatch classification.
Stardew SW 9138 is the color searched against Debonair, the next step up their shared strip, and it is clearly lighter, an LRV of 43 to Debonair's 34. It also holds less color, so Stardew reads as a gray with a sea tint and Debonair as a real blue-gray. Stardew is the safer pick for a small or dim room; Debonair is for a room with big windows that can carry a deeper wall.
Evergreen FogDebonairDebonair vs Evergreen Fog SW 9130
Debonair is noticeably lighter; undertone subtle blue vs subtle yellow-leaning green. Based on published LRV and our swatch classification.
Evergreen Fog SW 9130 is a touch darker, an LRV of 30 to Debonair's 34, and the same idea in green: a muted gray-green with a yellow lean where Debonair is a muted gray-blue with a green lean. Beside warm wood Evergreen Fog reads sage and Debonair reads chambray. Take Evergreen Fog for a warmer, earthier room; take Debonair when the room has cool tile, chrome or a lot of white.
Storm CloudDebonairDebonair vs Storm Cloud SW 6249
Debonair is much lighter; both fall in our subtle blue category. Based on published LRV and our swatch classification.
Storm Cloud SW 6249 is noticeably darker, an LRV of 23 against Debonair's 34, with a more blue-leaning swatch beside Debonair's softer blue-green. Storm Cloud is the one for cabinets, exteriors and a deep accent wall; Debonair is the one for four bedroom walls in a room with ordinary light.
Questions about Debonair
Is Debonair a good bedroom color?
Yes, and it is what most people search it for. At an LRV of 34 four walls of Debonair make a bedroom feel calm and enclosed without going dark, and white bedding, a white ceiling and warm wood keep the blue soft. In a north-facing bedroom it can go flat and gray; warm bulbs and a warm rug bring the color back.
Does Debonair look blue or gray?
Blue-gray, with the blue showing most against white. In the published swatch, it has nearly equal amounts of blue and green and a lot of gray, so a crisp white trim, cream or a tan sofa make it read blue, while gray tile, charcoal or cool bulbs make it read gray. Warm wood and brass tip it a little toward aqua.
What colors go with Debonair?
Sherwin-Williams pairs it with Mountain Air SW 6224 on trim and ceilings and names Site White SW 7070, a soft white, and Waterloo SW 9141, the deep blue at the bottom of its own strip, as accents; the Waterloo pairing is the easy way to add a dark door or island to a Debonair room. In practice it also sits with walnut, white oak, brass and black metal.
Does Debonair work on cabinets?
It does, as a lighter alternative to a navy. In a satin finish it reads as a faded chambray blue that keeps a small kitchen from feeling dark, and it pairs with white walls, a light counter and brass or black hardware. On all the cabinets in a kitchen with gray floors it can go gray on gray; there a white upper run helps.
What is one shade lighter than Debonair?
Stardew SW 9138 is the next step up its fan-deck strip, a lighter and grayer version of the same blue, and Niebla Azul SW 9137 is the step above that. One step darker is Blustery Sky SW 9140. Among its closest matches, Meditative SW 6227 is a touch lighter and greener, and Powder Blue SW 2863 is a touch lighter with a similar balance.
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 Debonair, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.
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Trim, ceiling and coordinating colors for Debonair
Sherwin-Williams names Mountain Air SW 6224 as the trim and ceiling white for Debonair, a cool white with a faint green lean and gentle contrast. Site White SW 7070, one of SW's own accents for it, is a slightly warmer soft white. Extra White SW 7006 is the crisp option; a warm white such as Alabaster SW 7008 makes the walls read bluer.
Colors lighter and darker than Debonair
Colors similar to Debonair
Closest matches for Debonair in other brands
These are the closest digital colors in our catalog, not equivalent paint formulas or touch-up substitutes. Compare physical samples in the same finish before choosing. See the comparison method.