Citronella
Often used for its versatile qualities, Citronella remains a staple for Sherwin-Williams designers. It is widely considered one of the best colors in its class to add character and warmth to any space. We've gathered 10 real-home scenarios to help you visualize this color alongside our expert data.
Hex
#CBA901
LRV
41.33
Citronella's Color Strip
Citronella is the seventh shade on this 7-color strip, the deepest shade in this coordinated family. Browsing strip 138 alongside this color helps you gauge whether to go lighter, darker, or stay right here.
Citronella in Real Rooms
Citronella has a medium-high LRV of 41.33 — 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 bathroom, dining room, front door, bedroom, home office, living room, kitchen, house, patio and mudroom.
1 Bathroom Photo
Using Citronella 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.
Citronella — japandi bathroom
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1 Dining Room Photo
Dining rooms are often the best place to take a "color risk." By choosing Citronella, you're opting for a shade that is saturated and confident, yet still refined enough to act as a neutral backdrop for colorful table linens and floral arrangements.
Citronella paint in a minimalist dining room
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1 Front Door Photo
A front door painted Citronella makes a confident first impression without shouting. The color's depth draws the eye and signals personality before guests even step inside. Pair with crisp white trim and warm brass hardware to complete the look.
rustic modern front door featuring Citronella by Sherwin-Williams
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1 Bedroom Photo
Citronella creates a bedroom that feels deliberately calm rather than accidentally plain. The color absorbs the first rays of morning light without bouncing them back harshly, which means waking up in this environment feels gentle and gradual. Keep the window treatments simple and let the walls do the heavy lifting.
A cozy bedroom painted in Citronella
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1 Home Office Photo
Citronella in a home office signals that the space was thought about. The color holds up under the scrutiny of video calls without feeling staged, and it stays comfortable across the full working day in a way that brighter colors often don't.
Sherwin-Williams Citronella in a minimalist home office
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1 Living Room Photo
The beauty of Citronella in a living room lies in its versatility with textures. It provides a smooth, matte-like quality that contrasts beautifully against plush velvet sofas or chunky wool rugs. It's a color that invites you to stay a little longer, creating an atmosphere that feels established rather than just decorated.
A contemporary living room painted in Citronella
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1 Kitchen Photo
Using Citronella in the kitchen allows the architectural details—like open shelving or a custom range hood—to stand out. It creates a soft-focus background that makes even a simple stack of white plates look like a deliberate design choice.
Citronella — earthy kitchen
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1 House Photo
Citronella is particularly effective on modern-style homes with flat planes and large windows. The color emphasizes the geometry of the house, using shadows and light to create a dynamic, ever-changing facade throughout the day.
Citronella color — coastal house inspiration
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1 Patio Photo
For outdoor kitchens or bars, Citronella provides a professional, "indoor" level of sophistication. It bridges the gap between the comfort of the house and the ruggedness of the outdoors, making the patio feel like a true extension of the living space.
rustic modern patio featuring Citronella by Sherwin-Williams
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1 Mudroom Photo
For smaller entries, Citronella provides a "box" of color that defines the space. It tells you exactly where the "messy" zone ends and the "clean" house begins, using color psychology to manage the flow of the household.
Citronella — small mudroom
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Coordinating Colors
At LRV 84 vs 41, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 41, Oyster White is decisively the brighter choice.
Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 20), opening up a space where Mink encloses it.
Trim Color
At LRV 84 vs 41, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Similar Colors
Eye Catching reads slightly lighter (LRV 50 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 41 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 44 and 41, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 5-point LRV gap (47 vs 41) makes Humorous Green the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 41 vs 39), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Gambol Gold reads slightly lighter (LRV 48 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Citronella reads slightly lighter (LRV 41 vs 35), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 10-point LRV gap (41 vs 31) makes Citronella the marginally brighter of the two.
Complementary Colors
Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 8), opening up a space where Frank Blue encloses it.
Lighter Colors
At LRV 55 vs 41, Goldfinch is decisively the brighter choice.
Confident Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.
At LRV 63 vs 41, Cheerful is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 61 vs 41, Citrus is decisively the brighter choice.
Forsythia reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.