Silver Strand Paint Color Review - How It Looks in Every Light
Silver Strand by Sherwin-Williams has an elusive beauty due to its ability to change in lighting conditions. This exemplary light-medium gray possesses subtle yet impactful blue and green undertones that imbue spaces with a breath of coastal air. By examining how the mercurial Silver Strand shifts from a crisp medium-tone gray to a moodier hue and back again, we better understand the possibilities it holds for interior walls and beyond.
As a relatively new addition to the Sherwin-Williams roster of hues, Silver Strand has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity thanks to its adaptable nature. In one light it reads as a weathered blue-gray with hints of green, in another it's a blue-kissed medium neutral with nary a hint of color. It's this changeable personality that makes Silver Strand such an intriguing choice for spaces aiming to exude both relaxation and sophistication.
Overview of Silver Strand Paint Color
Hailing from Sherwin-Williams's 2017 Color of the Year palette under their Mindful Gray collection, Silver Strand strikes a perfect balance between vibrant and muted. While its blue-green personality isn't overpowering, it makes its presence gently known thanks to a chromatic value higher than the average light gray. This chameleon-like ability gives it a versatility that extends to a variety of aesthetic styles and settings.
A Light-Medium Gray With Personality
Upon first glance, Silver Strand reads as a light-medium gray with the slightest hint of color peeking through. Unlike Sherwin-Williams stalwarts like Agreeable Gray or Repose Gray, Silver Strand boasts extra visual interest thanks to its undertones. In certain lights these undertones fade away to reveal a versatile and truly neutral gray.
Soothing Blue and Green Undertones
While Silver Strand is first and foremost a gray, its blue and green undertones emerge at times to add extra depth. Depending on the space and lighting conditions, sometimes one undertone dominates over the other. However in most settings, they mingle together to lend spaces a soothing ambiance.
These undertones range in prevalence from a hint to highly noticeable depending on factors like application technique and lighting. Generally the blue comes forward the most, infusing spaces with a breath of cool coastal air.
How Lighting Affects Silver Strand
Arguably the most intriguing facet of Silver Strand paint color lies in its chameleon-like properties. As lighting shifts in a space throughout the day, so does the paint color to some degree. Sometimes these changes are subtle, other times they verge on striking. By examining how Silver Strand handles different lighting scenarios, we better understand the possibilities it offers.
Silver Strand in Natural Light
Spaces awash in ample natural light bring out the vibrancy in Silver Strand paint. Here its light-medium gray base brightens up, creating contrast against darker trim colors. The blue undertones come forward more compared to artificial lighting as well, lending spaces an airy ambiance.
These brighter gray blue tones serve as beautiful backdrops for materials with warm undertones. Think light wood flooring, brass hardware, cream upholstery, and chestnut leather. A lighter hand when applying Silver Strand helps heighten this luminosity.
Silver Strand Under Incandescent and Yellow Lighting
The warm hues of incandescent and yellow-tinted lighting elicit a more somber side of Silver Strand. As yellow light interacts with the paint, it takes on a greenish overlay. Meanwhile, the light-medium gray base appears gently softened and muted.
Because the green undertones come forward more, Silver Strand develops an earthier, more complexion. Especially when applied in a matte or velvety sheen, the paint color conveys a sense of cozy tranquility in these lighting conditions.
Silver Strand Under LED and Bright White Light
The very bright white lighting of LED bulbs and other simulated daylight sources lend Silver Strand an icy blue brilliance. While the gray base still anchors the color, blue undertones take center stage in this setting. Such crisp cool lighting flatters modern spaces where sleek materials like metal, glass, and marble feel at home.
Compared to warm light that gives a relaxed impression, Silver Strand in LED brightness feels invigorating. Especially when adorning contemporary spaces, this brighter lighter gray blue adds a pop of sophistication.
Silver Strand Paint Color in Low Light and Dark Spaces
In darker spaces with minimal illumination, Silver Strand transforms once again. With shadows at play muting its vibrancy, the light paint color skews darker and moodier. The once noticeable blue cast fades as the neutral gray base takes over.
Low lighting also washes away much of the contrast between Silver Strand and darker accent colors. Tones of gray, charcoal, and black blend more seamlessly together. Meanwhile, lighter blond wood tones really sing by providing necessary contrast.
Comparing Silver Strand to Other Popular Neutral Paint Colors
Silver Strand gracefully walks a tightrope between moodiness and airiness thanks to its mercurial properties. This chameleon-like adaptability allows it to effortlessly fill various design niches in today's homes. By examining Silver Strand alongside analogous neutral paint colors, we better understand its unique appeal.
Silver Strand vs. Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt
Those drawn to gray blue hues with subtle green notes may compare Silver Strand and Sherwin-Williams own Sea Salt. Although analogous, several key differences help distinguish the two paint colors.
While Sea Salt and Silver Strand both drift into greenish-blue territory, Silver Strand boasts more dominant blue undertones. Sea Salt conversely skews toward green and gray rather than blue. Visually, Sea Salt conveys a brighter more modern allure than the moodier Silver Strand.
Silver Strand vs. Agreeable Gray
As hugely popular go-to gray paint colors, Silver Strand and Agreeable Gray represent sound neutral options. But upon closer inspection, distinctions quickly emerge to set them apart.
Most noticeably, popular Agreeable Gray contains no discernable undertones. Its versatility comes from a utterly neutral medium gray identity. Conversely, Silver Strand leverages its blue and green undertones to lend visual dynamism.
Under most lighting conditions, Agreeable Gray conveys warmth thanks to its beige-influenced base. Silver Strand stands apart with its cooling blue and green personality. So while both serve as attractive medium neutrals, their undertones dictate diverging aesthetics.
Using Silver Strand Paint Color In Your Home
With an adaptable personality suited to myriad spaces, Silver Strand flourishes across interior settings. Although a capable neutral, its vaguely coastal allure feels most at home in areas meant for repose and relaxation.
Silver Strand Paint Color in Bedrooms
In bedrooms where peaceful retreat reigns supreme, Silver Strand promotes tranquility with its soothing blue-green undertones. Spaces adorned in light finishes like oak floors and maple cabinetry bring out vibrancy in Silver Strand. For added polish, metallic accents like brass sconces, copper reading lamps, and an earthy area rug ground the space.
Silver Strand Paint Color in Bathrooms
Bathrooms aiming to cocoon inhabitants in spa-like escapism benefit from Silver Strand hues. Its gray blue persona finds harmony with cool ceramic tiles, natural stone surfaces, and porcelain bathtubs. Nickel plumbing fixtures and aged bronze hardware lend necessary sheen.
Silver Strand Paint Color in Living Spaces
Silver Strand's adaptable nature serves it well as a sophisticated backdrop for living spaces both classic and current. In formal living rooms with cherry built-ins and button tufted leather sofas, it exudes refined elegance.
Meanwhile, open concept spaces thrive thanks to Silver Strand's chameleon properties. Its lighter application over upper walls plays nicely against beams wrapped in smoky wood tones and floors stained ebony. Sectionals awash in creamy cotton and linen toss pillows balance this yin and yang contrast.
As a distinctive gray blessed with illusionistic qualities, Silver Strand offers a dash of drama where many paint colors fall flat. Indeed, its mercurial personality that shifts between greenish-blue sophistication to a weathered coastal hideaway remains the color's strongest asset.
Spaces longing for subtle yet impactful complexity find their match with Silver Strand. Although newer on the scene than stalwart hues like Repose Gray and Agreeable Gray, Silver Strand's atmospheric essence infuses rooms with compelling contrast. In the hands of skilled designers it may transform entirely from daybreak to twilight--an intriguing chameleon with broad adaptability.