Gardenia
Gardenia is a bright and airy Red from Sherwin-Williams. Our real-world data shows it is a primary choice when homeowners need to maximize natural light while maintaining a clean, neutral backdrop. Below, you'll find 10 examples of this shade in actual homes along with suggested color relationships.
Hex
#F3E2C9
LRV
77.87
Gardenia's Color Strip
Gardenia is the first shade on this 7-color strip, the lightest in this coordinated family. As part of strip 268, these colors are curated to work together — helpful when you're deciding how light or deep to go.
Gardenia in Real Rooms
Gardenia has a high LRV of 77.87 — it reflects a lot of light and will read pale and airy in most spaces. It's neutral in temperature and , making it adaptable across different lighting conditions and room orientations. Grouped in the Red family, the photos below show it applied in a bedroom, dining room, front door, home office, bathroom, patio, mudroom, living room, house and kitchen.
1 Bedroom Photo
Lighting is key in a bedroom, and Gardenia 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 modern luxury bedroom painted in Gardenia
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1 Dining Room Photo
Using Gardenia 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.
Gardenia paint in a rustic modern dining room
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1 Front Door Photo
A front door in Gardenia is a timeless choice that won't feel dated as trends shift. It's a versatile hue that can adapt to different porch decor—from modern planters to traditional rockers—with effortless ease.
traditional front door featuring Gardenia by Sherwin-Williams
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1 Home Office Photo
Gardenia 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 Gardenia in a scandinavian home office
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1 Bathroom Photo
In the bathroom, Gardenia brings a spa-like intentionality to the space. It responds well to task lighting and natural light alike, and pairs beautifully with white fixtures, warm wood vanities, or brushed brass hardware for a polished, restful result.
Gardenia — vintage bathroom
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1 Patio Photo
Exterior color behaves differently than interior — there's more bleaching, more weather, and more competition from the natural surroundings. Gardenia holds its character in open light and tends to look even better after a few seasons than it does fresh from the can.
coastal patio featuring Gardenia by Sherwin-Williams
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1 Mudroom Photo
The mudroom is often the first interior space guests see. Gardenia makes that threshold feel considered and designed without demanding more attention than it deserves. It's a "hardworking" color that still maintains its dignity.
Gardenia paint in a coastal mudroom
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1 Living Room Photo
The beauty of Gardenia 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 traditional living room painted in Gardenia
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1 House Photo
In suburban environments, Gardenia provides a sophisticated point of difference. It stands out from the sea of beige and grey without being "that house" that's too loud. It's the subtle, high-end choice that improves the curb appeal of the entire block.
Gardenia color — rustic modern house inspiration
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1 Kitchen Photo
Gardenia is particularly effective in kitchens with a lot of natural light. It tempers the glare from sun hitting polished surfaces, providing a matte-like visual anchor that keeps the room feeling grounded even during the brightest parts of the day.
Gardenia — industrial kitchen
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Coordinating Colors
A 8-point LRV gap (86 vs 78) makes Extra White the marginally brighter of the two.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 46), opening up a space where Festoon Aqua encloses it.
Trim Color
Similar Colors
With LRVs of 78 and 78, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 78 vs 78), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 78 and 76, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 78 vs 76), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 5-point LRV gap (83 vs 78) makes French Vanilla the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 79 and 78, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Complementary Colors
At LRV 78 vs 34, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 30), opening up a space where Dyer's Woad encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 37, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
Lighter Colors
Palish Peach reads slightly lighter (LRV 85 vs 78), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Summer White reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 78), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Darker Colors
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 78 vs 76), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 78 and 76, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 78 vs 57, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (78 vs 69) makes Gardenia the marginally brighter of the two.