Lori A. Sawaya, you just blew my mind! Thank you. No wonder I was so confused. Thank you soooooo much!

You are soooooo welcome!

Many posters around here are experts using LRV because it makes it so easy to organize color by lightness/darkness.

Like easy-to-use LRV, there are other color data points that are just as handy. They are hue hamily, value, and chroma. I'm on a mission to teach everyone about those too. ;)

Oops I just noticed I made a mistake switching the colors of 13 and 12. I don't see a way to edit and fix it so here is the correction:

13 is actually Storm Cloud by Sherwin Williams
12 is actually Northern Star by Pratt and Lambert

Lori, which color do you think looks best out of this assortment?

Lori, which color do you think looks best out of this assortment?

I like 9, Island View by Glidden. It's light, belongs to the Blue-Green hue family which will work nicely with your floors and shouldn't have any lavender overtones. Chroma isn't too strong so it should be somewhat "neutral" in terms of harmonizing with other elements in the space.

Based on my monitor (which could vary from true color), I like #7 SW Software best. It looks to me like a true gray. Only possible problem that it might be too dark. Could get it mixed at 25% or 50% to see if it retains the nice color, only lighter. I like it just the way it is, but I tend toward darker colors and it may be too much if you don't have much natural light in the room or the room is small.

I started painting with Nevermore Grey just to see and partly because I'm impatient. I was surprised to find that it is starting to look darker even though I thought it was too light. I'll take another look at it during the daytime. There's a lot of light in this room during the day. My husband thinks the Nevermore Grey is perfect but I'm wondering about the Island View color now which he says we shouldn't use because he says it looks "baby blue" and too much like our connected kitchen.

I tried to find the name of our kitchen color but I can't decipher it from the can, is there some code I might be missing?

It's weird because it was definitely not a "custom color" as it states.

Here's the Nevermore Grey:

Thanks for reading this and puttin' up with my indecision. :0)

My husband thinks the Nevermore Grey is perfect but I'm wondering about the Island View color now which he says we shouldn't use because he says it looks "baby blue" and too much like our connected kitchen.

Island View has an LRV of 41

Nevermore Grey has an LRV of 23

Nevermore is darker than Island View. If he thinks it looks baby blue, then take it out of the running. Nevermore is a pretty color, just make sure you don't see any purplish overtones.

Look at bm Stonington gray. Or SW accessible gray.

That is quite a difference in LRV rating. I'm afraid I do see purplish undertones in the Nevermore. I could be imagining it. Everything is starting to look blue to me except the Software. Maybe it's because of all the blues around it. Software looks sort of brown in comparison so that's why I was reluctant to give it a chance. I was afraid it would look dingy but I don't think it does now that I've tried it more. I think I'm liking it the best! Hopefully it will look good in the morning light and my husband will like it too. Apparently Software has the same 23 LRV as Nevermore Grey which is evident in how it's hard to see where one begins and the other ends.

Linda, Stonington gray an LRV of 59 and Agreeable(?) Gray is 60 which is probably too light for us but they are lovely shades. Thank you for those suggestions.

If Software is too dark, would these be the next two samples to consider getting?

I'm afraid I do see purplish undertones in the Nevermore. I could be imagining it.

No. Not imagining the purpleness in Nevermore. Thinking in terms of undertones will only make it more difficult to truly see color for what it is.

Things become much clearer - and easier - when you understand that every color belongs to a hue family and undertones are something completely different. Just like LRV, there is a data point for hue family. Once we identify hue family, we can then plot (either physically or just in your head) the color on a color wheel.

Like I did in the infographic below. You can see the yellow circle highlights the PB or purple-blue hue family. Do you see where Nevermore Grey is plotted? It belongs to the B or blue hue family and 'lives' overnear the purple-blue hue family. That's why you are seeing overtones of purple. Nothing's hidden or "under" anything. The color simply belongs to the blue hue family over near purple-blue and it's obvious to you.

Everything is starting to look blue to me except the Software. Maybe it's because of all the blues around it. Software looks sort of brown in comparison so that's why I was reluctant to give it a chance.

When you know what hue family a paint color belongs to, the other colors around it become less influential - because you have a conscious, objective reference for hue.

I plotted the other three colors you're now considering so you can see where they 'live' within their hue family. Now, you can compare on TWO data points, LRV and hue family. Here's a list of color data points: hue family, value, chroma, and LRV. When you string all of them together, it's called a color notation.

A color notation is an objective second opinion that helps you analyze color. In this infographic, you can see the color notation directly under each color name. Hope that helps.

(Revised to correct illuminant)

Lori, thank you for educating me. I'm finding it a bit difficult to grasp but I'm not giving up just yet. My husband still prefers the Nevermore over the Software. I'm going to study the data you've generously provided here. Thank you again.

Ok so I think I've got a winner again lol. I'm curious what my husband will say. I got two more samples.

African Gray 31 R: 147 G: 152 B: 153
Gray Matters 39 R: 167 G: 168 B: 162

Gray Matters is eight levels higher and it really shows. I made a mistake in picking it since I considered Babbling Brooke too light and it has a lower LRV of 34.

I'm really liking the African Gray though! I can't wait to see it in natural light. It looks blue in the photo but not in person currently. I wonder how much the surrounding red color is effecting our perception too.

I'm posting this photo in case it provides help to others on their gray paint journey.

1 African Gray

2 Gray Matters

3 Software LRV:23 R: 127 G: 132 B: 134

4 Nevermore

5 Babbling Brooke

Oh dear, I'm still having trouble and apparently made the wrong sheen choice too. I chose African Grey with flat sheen and our room feels tinier now. I thought lighter colors made a room feel bigger but now I'm wondering if I should have gone with a darker color along with a satin(?) sheen?

Update: Do not paint your walls with a flat sheen unless you want your room to feel smaller.

I wanted to chime in and say that my living room is painted Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray. I wanted this color because the carpet is beige but the tile in the adjoining dining room has a bit of beige swirled in it, so I wanted something to tie it all together. I find that the Mindful Gray to me is a true neutral that doesn't feel like it has purple, blue, etc, undertones. When it went on the walls, it was perfect!