Storm Cloud
SW 6249 · Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams
Storm Cloud
SW 6249
Subtle blue, a cool color
- Color family
- Blue
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
On the chip Sherwin-Williams Storm Cloud SW 6249 looks like a plain mid gray; on a wall it is a blue-gray with an LRV of 23, dark enough to read as a statement on four walls and easy on one. Our method reads it as a subtle blue with almost no green, so it stays a cool slate rather than drifting toward teal. It is used on exteriors, bedroom walls, cabinets and accent walls.
Updated
Is Storm Cloud warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans blue
Undertone
Subtle blue
A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.
Storm Cloud measures as a gray with a modest amount of blue: no red, and only a trace of green, so the blue in it is a clean, cool blue rather than a teal. Next to a crisp white trim the blue is obvious; next to a warm white or a tan sofa it looks bluer and cooler; next to gray tile, concrete or stainless steel it loses the blue and reads as a plain dark gray. Serious Gray SW 6256 is its near twin with the blue turned down a notch, and Blustery Sky SW 9140 sits at the same depth with more green in it, a slate that leans toward teal. Storm Cloud is the one in the middle: gray first, blue second, no green.
Storm Cloud in north, south, east and west light
A north-facing room shows Storm Cloud at its coolest and grayest: the blue thins out, the wall flattens and a small north bedroom can feel like weather, so sample the darkest wall first and plan on warm bulbs. South light warms it and brings the blue forward; the wall reads truest to the chip there. East rooms get a soft blue-gray in the morning and go cooler after noon; west rooms look flat until the afternoon sun arrives. Bulbs at 3000K keep it balanced; 2700K warms it toward a plain gray, 4000K pushes it cold and blue.
Watch for
- Flattens to a plain dark gray beside concrete, stainless steel or gray tile
- Looks bluer and colder against cream trim or a tan sofa
- Reads a step darker than the chip in a dim north room
Best rooms and surfaces for Storm Cloud
Storm Cloud is a wall color for rooms with good windows and a surface color everywhere else. On four bedroom walls it makes the room feel enclosed and calm, and it takes white bedding, walnut and brass well; keep the ceiling white. As an accent wall behind a bed or a sofa it is deep enough to matter without going dark. On kitchen or bathroom cabinets it reads as a soft slate in a satin finish and looks right against white walls and a light counter. In a bathroom it suits white tile and chrome but goes cold with gray tile and cool LEDs. It is too dark to run through a whole house, and in a north-facing living room it can feel heavy; Debonair SW 9139, a step lighter, keeps the color with more light.
Storm Cloud on an exterior
Storm Cloud is searched as an exterior color more than for any single room, and it is a good fit: on siding it reads as a dark blue-gray that looks like slate in full sun and settles toward charcoal in shade, so the north side of the house reads darker than the chip. It is not as heavy as a navy or a charcoal, which makes it easier on a whole house. Crisp white trim in Extra White SW 7006 sharpens it, and a door in Naval SW 6244 or a natural wood tone finishes it.
Try Storm Cloud on your own walls
Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Storm Cloud onto the walls so you can judge it in your light, with your floors and furniture. Your first five renders are free.
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Storm Cloud vs Rain Cloud, Evergreen Fog, Debonair and Smoky Blue
Storm Cloud vs Rain Cloud SW 9639
Storm Cloud is much lighter; both have a subtle blue undertone.
Rain Cloud SW 9639 is the color searched against Storm Cloud, and the names hide a real gap: Rain Cloud is much darker, an LRV of 11 to Storm Cloud's 23, and it carries a touch more green, so it reads as a deep slate that leans teal. Storm Cloud is the lighter, cleaner blue-gray. Rain Cloud is for cabinets, doors and a moody accent; Storm Cloud is the one that can go on four walls.
Evergreen FogStorm CloudStorm Cloud vs Evergreen Fog SW 9130
Storm Cloud is noticeably darker; undertone subtle blue vs subtle yellow-leaning green.
Evergreen Fog SW 9130 is a step lighter, an LRV of 30 to Storm Cloud's 23, and a different color: gray-green with a yellow lean, where Storm Cloud is gray-blue with none. Beside warm wood Evergreen Fog reads sage and Storm Cloud reads slate. Take Evergreen Fog for a room that wants warmth and green; take Storm Cloud for a cooler, cleaner room with white, black and chrome.
DebonairStorm CloudStorm Cloud vs Debonair SW 9139
Storm Cloud is much darker; both have a subtle blue undertone.
Debonair SW 9139 is noticeably lighter, an LRV of 34 against 23, and it has more green in its blue, so it reads as a soft blue-gray with a hint of sea where Storm Cloud reads as a cooler slate. Debonair is the whole-room pick for a bedroom or a north-facing space; Storm Cloud is the pick where the walls should feel deep or the color goes on cabinets and exteriors.
Smoky BlueStorm CloudStorm Cloud vs Smoky Blue SW 7604
Storm Cloud is noticeably lighter; undertone subtle blue vs noticeable blue.
Smoky Blue SW 7604 is darker, an LRV of 15 to Storm Cloud's 23, and it has clearly more blue in it, with a little green, so it reads as a dusty blue rather than a gray. Storm Cloud reads as a gray that leans blue. If you want people to say blue, Smoky Blue is the one; if you want them to say gray, Storm Cloud is.
Questions about Storm Cloud
Is Storm Cloud blue or gray?
Gray on the chip, blue-gray on the wall. Measured, it is a gray with a modest amount of clean blue and almost no green, so the blue shows against white trim, cream and warm wood and hides against concrete, stainless steel and gray tile. People who search for it as a gray are not wrong; it depends on the neighbors.
What colors go with Storm Cloud?
Sherwin-Williams pairs it with Quicksilver SW 6245 on trim and ceilings and names Origami White SW 7636, a soft warm white, and Butternut SW 6389, a golden yellow, as accents; the butternut is the one that stops a blue-gray room from feeling cold. In practice it also sits well with walnut, white oak, brass, black metal and a pale companion like Krypton SW 6247 on adjoining walls.
Is Storm Cloud too dark for a bedroom?
Not with a window. At an LRV of 23 it darkens a bedroom in a way many people want, calm and enclosed, and white bedding, a white ceiling and warm bulbs keep it from feeling heavy. In a small north-facing bedroom it can feel gloomy; there use it on the wall behind the bed and keep the rest lighter.
Does Storm Cloud work on cabinets?
Yes. On kitchen or bathroom cabinets it reads as a soft slate blue in a satin finish, deep enough to look deliberate but lighter than a navy, so a whole run of Storm Cloud cabinets does not darken the kitchen. White walls, a light counter and brass or black hardware suit it; against gray tile it loses its blue.
What is one shade lighter than Storm Cloud?
Let it Rain SW 9152 is the next step up its fan-deck strip, a medium blue-gray, and Jubilee SW 6248 is the step above that. One step darker is Granite Peak SW 6250, then Outerspace SW 6251. Among its closest matches, Serious Gray SW 6256 sits at the same depth with less blue, and Bracing Blue SW 6242 is a touch lighter and bluer.
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 Storm Cloud, 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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