Burlap
Burlap is a versatile Yellow from Sherwin-Williams. Our real-world data shows it is a primary choice when homeowners need to add character and warmth to any space. Below, you'll find 10 examples of this shade in actual homes along with suggested color relationships.
Hex
#AC9571
LRV
31.46
Burlap's Color Strip
Burlap is the fifth shade on this 7-color strip, sitting between Tarnished Treasure and Artifact. The strip spans from Netsuke at the lightest end to Mossy Gold at the deepest. Color strip 208 groups these shades together so you can see how each reads next to its neighbors.
Burlap in Real Rooms
Burlap has a medium LRV of 31.46 — it adds real depth and will read noticeably darker as natural light fades. It's neutral in temperature and , making it adaptable across different lighting conditions and room orientations. Grouped in the Yellow family, the photos below show it applied in a front door, bedroom, dining room, bathroom, home office, mudroom, house, kitchen, patio and living room.
1 Front Door Photo
Burlap on a front door looks particularly stunning when framed by greenery or seasonal wreaths. The color provides a deep, matte background that makes the organic textures of a boxwood wreath or autumn garland really pop.
mediterranean front door featuring Burlap by Sherwin-Williams
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1 Bedroom Photo
Lighting is key in a bedroom, and Burlap reacts beautifully to dimmers. As you lower the lights for sleep, the color takes on a velvet-like quality, losing its daytime crispness in favor of a smoky, mysterious depth that is incredibly conducive to relaxation.
A minimalist bedroom painted in Burlap
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1 Dining Room Photo
Using Burlap in the dining room allows you to go bold with your lighting fixtures. An oversized chandelier or a modern sculptural pendant will look even more dramatic against the rich, steady background of this particular shade.
Burlap paint in a contemporary dining room
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1 Bathroom Photo
Using Burlap on a bathroom vanity is a clever way to introduce color without painting the walls. It creates a sophisticated anchor for the room, especially when topped with a thick white quartz or a contrasting dark stone.
Burlap — industrial bathroom
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1 Home Office Photo
Burlap in an office encourages a "deep work" mindset. Its depth and maturity create an environment of gravitas, helping you take your own projects and ambitions more seriously through the sheer atmosphere of the room.
Sherwin-Williams Burlap in a moody home office
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1 Mudroom Photo
Burlap in the mudroom earns its keep. It's a color that can handle the traffic — grounding enough to hide the daily chaos, and intentional enough to make the transition from outside feel considered and high-end.
Burlap paint in a cottagecore mudroom
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1 House Photo
Exterior paint earns its keep over years, not months — it needs to handle bleaching summers, wet winters, and the slow shifts of a neighborhood's context. Burlap has the depth and pigment quality to age gracefully through all of it.
Burlap color — scandinavian house inspiration
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1 Kitchen Photo
The challenge with kitchen color is longevity: it needs to look right at 7am under bright task lights and at dinner with the pendants dimmed low. Burlap manages to bridge all three lighting scenarios with ease, which is a rarer quality in a paint pigment than it sounds.
Burlap — bold kitchen
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1 Patio Photo
Using Burlap on outdoor furniture or structures helps them "recede" into the shadows of the garden, creating a more seamless and naturalistic look. It avoids the harsh, synthetic feel that many outdoor-specific colors can have.
minimalist patio featuring Burlap by Sherwin-Williams
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1 Living Room Photo
When applied to living room walls, Burlap creates a sense of "visual quiet." It eliminates the erratic shadows found in busier spaces, instead providing a steady, rhythmic tone that ties together disparate furniture styles. It's the common thread that makes a room full of heirlooms and modern pieces feel like a cohesive collection.
A elegant living room painted in Burlap
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Expert Perspectives
In-depth articles and real-home features from across our network of home and design sites.
Coordinating Colors
At LRV 71 vs 31, Eaglet Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
Burlap reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 15), opening up a space where Homburg Gray encloses it.
Trim Color
Similar Colors
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 31), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 31 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
With LRVs of 33 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 32 vs 31), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 4-point LRV gap (35 vs 31) makes Sugared Almond the marginally brighter of the two.
A 4-point LRV gap (36 vs 31) makes Coriander Powder the marginally brighter of the two.
A 4-point LRV gap (36 vs 31) makes Dried Edamame the marginally brighter of the two.
A 5-point LRV gap (31 vs 27) makes Burlap the marginally brighter of the two.
A 4-point LRV gap (31 vs 28) makes Burlap the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 34 vs 31), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Complementary Colors
Burlap reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 11), opening up a space where Rain Cloud encloses it.
Burlap reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 7), opening up a space where Sea Mariner encloses it.
Starry Night reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 31), opening up a space where Burlap encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (31 vs 20) makes Burlap the marginally brighter of the two.
A 4-point LRV gap (31 vs 28) makes Burlap the marginally brighter of the two.
Burlap reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 3), opening up a space where After the Storm encloses it.
Lighter Colors
Smoky Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 40 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 31), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Studio Taupe reads slightly lighter (LRV 34 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 57 vs 31, Soft Suede is decisively the brighter choice.
Darker Colors
At LRV 31 vs 19, Burlap is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (31 vs 27) makes Burlap the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 31), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 31 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.