Butternut
Butternut 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
#CC9B5C
LRV
37.06
Butternut's Color Strip
Butternut is the fifth shade on this 7-color strip, sitting between Golden Fleece and Bosc Pear. The strip spans from Napery at the lightest end to Gallant Gold at the deepest. Strip 139 makes it easy to compare shades side by side and find the right depth for your space.
Butternut in Real Rooms
Butternut has a medium-high LRV of 37.06 — present enough to register on the wall without making a room feel heavy. 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 home office, dining room, front door, bathroom, bedroom, living room, patio, house, mudroom and kitchen.
1 Home Office Photo
To create a "library" feel in your home office, use Butternut on both the walls and the built-in shelving. This monochromatic approach creates a sophisticated, academic atmosphere that makes the room feel like a true destination for thought.
Sherwin-Williams Butternut in a contemporary home office
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1 Dining Room Photo
For an "all-day" dining room, Butternut is surprisingly adaptable. In the morning, it feels crisp and clean for breakfast; as the sun moves, it transitions into a moodier, more reflective space that is perfect for long, lingering dinners.
Butternut paint in a art deco dining room
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1 Front Door Photo
The front door is a great place to experiment with higher sheen levels. Butternut in a high-gloss finish creates a mirror-like surface that looks incredibly expensive and traditional, echoing the grand entryways of London or New York.
classy front door featuring Butternut by Sherwin-Williams
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1 Bathroom Photo
For bathrooms with limited natural light, Butternut provides a necessary "glow." It uses its subtle undertones to mimic the warmth of sunlight, preventing the space from feeling subterranean or overly dark, even in windowless layouts.
Butternut — earthy bathroom
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1 Bedroom Photo
For guest bedrooms, Butternut is a welcoming embrace. It's a universally appealing tone that feels clean and fresh for new arrivals, yet has enough "personality" to make their stay feel special and considered. It works across all seasons, feeling cool in summer and cozy in winter.
A moody bedroom painted in Butternut
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1 Living Room Photo
For open-concept living rooms, Butternut is a powerful tool for definition. It has enough presence to signal where the living area begins without creating a harsh visual break from the rest of the house. It defines the "zone" of relaxation through color psychology and sophisticated depth.
A traditional living room painted in Butternut
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1 Patio Photo
Outside, Butternut takes on a completely different life. Whether on deck boards, patio furniture, a fence, or a garden wall, it weathers beautifully and holds its character in open light. It is a natural companion to stone, weathered wood, and greenery.
contemporary patio featuring Butternut by Sherwin-Williams
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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. Butternut has the depth and pigment quality to age gracefully through all of it.
Butternut color — rustic modern house inspiration
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1 Mudroom Photo
The mudroom is often the first interior space guests see. Butternut makes that threshold feel considered and designed without demanding more attention than it deserves. It's a "hardworking" color that still maintains its dignity.
Butternut paint in a tiny mudroom
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1 Kitchen Photo
In a modern kitchen, Butternut provides the necessary "organic" touch to offset stainless steel appliances and glass backsplashes. It prevents the kitchen from feeling like a laboratory, injecting a much-needed sense of domestic warmth and culinary inspiration.
Butternut — earthy kitchen
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Coordinating Colors
At LRV 83 vs 37, Dover White is decisively the brighter choice.
Retro Mint reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 37), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
Butternut reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 8), opening up a space where Perle Noir encloses it.
Trim Color
At LRV 83 vs 37, Dover White is decisively the brighter choice.
Similar Colors
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 39 vs 37), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 37 and 34, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 3-point LRV gap (37 vs 34) makes Butternut the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 38 vs 37), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 4-point LRV gap (41 vs 37) makes Harvest Gold the marginally brighter of the two.
A 5-point LRV gap (37 vs 32) makes Butternut the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 37 and 37, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Complementary Colors
Butternut reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 19), opening up a space where Labradorite encloses it.
At LRV 37 vs 3, Butternut is decisively the brighter choice.
Lavender Wisp reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 37), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
At LRV 37 vs 6, Butternut is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 37 vs 4, Butternut is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 37 vs 13, Butternut is decisively the brighter choice.
Lighter Colors
A 9-point LRV gap (46 vs 37) makes Restrained Gold the marginally brighter of the two.
Independent Gold reflects far more light (LRV 50 vs 37), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
Interactive Cream reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 37), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
Darker Colors
Monarch Gold reflects far more light (LRV NaN vs NaN), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
At LRV 37 vs 18, Butternut is decisively the brighter choice.
Butternut reads slightly lighter (LRV 37 vs 26), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 37 vs 25, Butternut is decisively the brighter choice.
