Worldly Gray

SW 7043 · Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams

Worldly Gray

SW 7043

Hex code

#CEC6BB

Light reflectance value (LRV)

57.2Light, brightens without washing out

0 black100 white

Undertone

Subtle yellow-beige, a warm color

Color family: Neutral
Sold for: Interior and exterior

Try it on your walls Get a sample

Sherwin-Williams Worldly Gray SW 7043 is a light warm greige, the palest color on the fan-deck strip that runs down to Urbane Bronze SW 7048, with an LRV of 57, bright enough for a whole floor of rooms while still showing color against white trim. Measured, it is a subtle yellow-beige with a touch more warmth than Agreeable Gray SW 7029, which is why it gets called the beiger, taupe-leaning one. It is used on walls, on cabinets and outside.

Updated September 2, 2026

Is Worldly Gray warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers

leans yellow

Undertone

Subtle yellow-beige

graysaturated

A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.

Worldly Gray sits between gray and beige, and the measurement says which way it tips: a clear but small amount of yellow, a trace of red, no green. The trace of red is what separates it from the plain greiges; it gives the color a soft taupe cast that shows against a cool white trim and disappears against a cream one. Beside warm oak it reads as a gray, beside gray tile or a black counter it reads as a beige, and in neither case does it go pink or green. Alpaca SW 7022 is its near twin, a whisper grayer and less yellow; Agreeable Gray SW 7029 is a touch lighter and a touch cooler; Accessible Beige SW 7036 is the same depth with visibly more beige.

Worldly Gray in north, south, east and west light

In a north-facing room Worldly Gray reads a step grayer and cooler, and the taupe cast that shows in south light mostly disappears; the warm lean keeps it from going cold, so a north living room in Worldly Gray reads as a quiet gray rather than a chilly one. South light brings the beige forward, and by afternoon it can look creamy and close to an off-white in a bright room. East rooms have it warmest at breakfast and grayest by evening. In a west room late sun can push it toward gold, and a cool white trim tempers that. Keep bulbs at 2700K to 3000K; 4000K strips the warmth out.

Watch for

Reads creamy and close to off-white on a south wall in full afternoon sun
Its faint red trace can show as a taupe or mauve cast beside a cool white like Extra White SW 7006
Goes gray and flat in a windowless bathroom under cool LEDs

Best rooms and surfaces for Worldly Gray

Worldly Gray is a whole-house greige for people who found Agreeable Gray SW 7029 a shade too gray and Accessible Beige SW 7036 a shade too beige. It carries a living room, a hallway and an open plan without a break, and in a bedroom it reads soft and warm under evening light. On kitchen cabinets it is a real option: light enough to keep a kitchen bright, warm enough to sit with brass hardware and wood counters, and it looks best under a lighter wall such as Shoji White SW 7042 so the cabinets are the color in the room. It goes flat in a windowless bathroom under cool bulbs, and beside pink-beige tile its red trace can show. Brown, walnut and white oak floors suit it; gray-washed floors pull it beige.

Worldly Gray on an exterior

Worldly Gray is one of the greiges Sherwin-Williams lists for exteriors, and outdoors in full sun it lightens to a soft warm off-white with a gray edge, so it is a body color for a house that should look light and warm from the street, not gray. In shade it keeps more gray and reads close to the chip. It sits well with brown brick, a bronze or brown roof and tan stone. Shoji White SW 7042 trim keeps the house soft, Extra White SW 7006 makes it crisper, and the bottom of its own strip, Urbane Bronze SW 7048, is a natural door and shutter color.

Try Worldly Gray on your own walls

Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Worldly Gray 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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Worldly Gray vs Agreeable Gray, Accessible Beige and Repose Gray

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray SW 7029, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Worldly Gray vs Agreeable Gray SW 7029

Worldly Gray is noticeably darker; both have a subtle yellow-beige undertone.

Agreeable Gray SW 7029 is the color Worldly Gray gets measured against more than any other, and they are near siblings: Agreeable Gray is a touch lighter, an LRV of 60 against 57, and a touch cooler, with less of the red trace that gives Worldly Gray its taupe cast. In cool light Agreeable Gray reads grayer and Worldly Gray warmer. Take Agreeable Gray for gray-washed floors, black metal and white cabinets; take Worldly Gray for brown wood, brass and cream finishes.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige SW 7036, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Worldly Gray vs Accessible Beige SW 7036

Worldly Gray is a touch darker; undertone subtle yellow-beige vs noticeable yellow-beige.

Accessible Beige SW 7036 matches Worldly Gray for depth almost exactly, an LRV of 58 against 57, so the choice is entirely about beige. Accessible Beige measures a noticeable yellow-beige and looks like a beige on the chip; Worldly Gray measures subtle and looks like a warm gray until a true gray sits next to it. Side by side Accessible Beige is the sandy one. If the room has tan tile, cream cabinets or honey wood, Accessible Beige blends in and Worldly Gray gives a little contrast.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray SW 7015, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Worldly Gray vs Repose Gray SW 7015

Worldly Gray is a touch darker; both have a subtle yellow-beige undertone.

Repose Gray SW 7015 is the grayer choice at the same depth, an LRV of 58 against 57. Both measure a subtle yellow-beige, but Repose Gray has none of the red trace, so it reads as a gray with the warmth held back while Worldly Gray reads as a greige with a taupe edge. Where Repose Gray can flash green by contrast beside pink finishes, Worldly Gray does not; where Worldly Gray can look muddy beside cool tile, Repose Gray stays clean. Cool floors favor Repose Gray, warm floors favor Worldly Gray.

Questions about Worldly Gray

Does Worldly Gray look purple?

Rarely, and only by contrast. Worldly Gray carries a trace of red along with its yellow, which is what gives it a taupe cast; against a crisp cool white like Extra White SW 7006 or a blue-gray tile that cast can read faintly mauve. Beside warm whites, wood and brass it reads as a plain warm greige. It has no green in it, so it never flashes sage.

What colors go with Worldly Gray?

Sherwin-Williams pairs it with Shoji White SW 7042 on trim, Amazing Gray SW 7044 as a darker partner and Whirlpool SW 9135, a muted blue, as an accent. In practice it works with navy, deep green and charcoal on doors and islands, brass and bronze hardware, brown and white oak floors, and cream or white cabinets. Its own strip supplies Urbane Bronze SW 7048 for a front door.

What is one shade lighter or darker than Worldly Gray?

Worldly Gray is the lightest color on its fan-deck strip, so the only printed step is darker: Amazing Gray SW 7044, a full step down. For a lighter version, the nearest colors by measurement are Agreeable Gray SW 7029, a touch lighter, and Modern Gray SW 7632 and Popular Gray SW 6071, both noticeably lighter with the same warm lean.

Is Worldly Gray good for exteriors?

Yes. Sherwin-Williams lists it among its top exterior colors, and it is a forgiving one: it lightens in sun without going white and stays warm in shade. It suits brick and stone in browns and tans better than the cooler greiges do, and it holds up beside a cream trim where a gray body would look dirty. On a north elevation it reads a step grayer, so sample there first.

Does Worldly Gray work on kitchen cabinets?

Yes, and it is one of the easier greiges to put on cabinets because it is warm enough to sit with wood counters and brass, and light enough that a kitchen with one window stays bright. Keep the walls lighter, Shoji White SW 7042 or Alabaster SW 7008, and expect a satin finish to read a touch lighter than the chip. It pairs with white quartz better than with gray-veined marble, which brings out the beige.

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 Worldly Gray, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.