
Grounded
Grounded is a genuinely dark Red from Sherwin-Williams. Our real-world data shows it is a primary choice when homeowners need to anchor a room without demanding the spotlight. Below, you'll find 10 examples of this shade in actual homes along with suggested color relationships.
Hex
#785B47
LRV
11.93
Grounded's Color Strip
Grounded is the sixth shade on this 7-color strip, sitting between Nuthatch and Java. The strip spans from Simplify Beige at the lightest end to Java at the deepest. Color strip 197 groups these shades together so you can see how each reads next to its neighbors.
Grounded in Real Rooms
Grounded has a low LRV of 11.93 — it absorbs light and reads as a genuinely dark, enveloping color. 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, home office, bathroom, living room, kitchen, patio, house, mudroom and front door.
1 Bedroom Photo
Grounded has a unique ability to make a bedroom feel larger yet more intimate at the same time. By softening the "edges" of the room, the walls seem to move back, while the warmth of the tone makes the bed feel like a safe, protected island in the center of the space.

A scandinavian bedroom painted in Grounded
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1 Dining Room Photo
Grounded encourages conversation. Its calm, grounded presence creates a sense of safety and comfort that allows guests to relax and stay at the table longer, which is the ultimate goal of any well-designed dining area.

Grounded paint in a minimalist dining room
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1 Home Office Photo
The transition from "home life" to "work life" can be signaled by the color of the room. Entering a space painted in Grounded provides a mental shift, telling your brain that it's time to settle in and be productive.

Sherwin-Williams Grounded in a scandinavian home office
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1 Bathroom Photo
Using Grounded 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.

Grounded — coastal bathroom
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1 Living Room Photo
For open-concept living rooms, Grounded 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 minimalist living room painted in Grounded
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1 Kitchen Photo
On kitchen walls, Grounded adds a considered, intentional feel without demanding too much attention in a busy space. It holds its own against both warm wood countertops and cool quartz or marble, making it an incredibly flexible choice for the hardest-working and most high-traffic room in the house.

Grounded — industrial kitchen
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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. Grounded holds its character in open light and tends to look even better after a few seasons than it does fresh from the can.

mediterranean patio featuring Grounded by Sherwin-Williams
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1 House Photo
Grounded on an exterior reads differently at different scales: approachable up close, commanding from the street. It works especially well on houses with good trim detail, where the contrast between wall and trim can do real visual work.

Grounded color — modern luxury house inspiration
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1 Mudroom Photo
In a mudroom, Grounded provides a clean "reset" as you enter the home. It's a palette cleanser that helps you leave the stress of the outside world at the door, creating a transition zone that is both functional and beautiful.

Grounded paint in a cottagecore mudroom
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1 Front Door Photo
In a world of boring front doors, Grounded is a breath of fresh air. It's a sophisticated choice that works with almost any siding color, providing a much-needed focal point that guides guests naturally toward the entrance.

Grounded — rustic modern front door
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Coordinating Colors


Modest White reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 12), opening up a space where Grounded encloses it.



Simplify Beige reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 12), opening up a space where Grounded encloses it.



Windy Blue reflects far more light (LRV 48 vs 12), opening up a space where Grounded encloses it.
Trim Color


Modest White reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 12), opening up a space where Grounded encloses it.
Similar Colors



Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.


Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.



Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 11), so neither reads brighter in a room.



Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 10), so neither reads brighter in a room.



Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 13 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.



With LRVs of 12 and 10, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Complementary Colors



At LRV 77 vs 12, Glass Bead is decisively the brighter choice.



Morning at Sea reflects far more light (LRV 29 vs 12), opening up a space where Grounded encloses it.



Grounded reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.



With LRVs of 12 and 11, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.



Grounded reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Lighter Colors


Portabello reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.


A 10-point LRV gap (22 vs 12) makes Moroccan Brown the marginally brighter of the two.



Rookwood Clay reads slightly lighter (LRV 23 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.


A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Thatch Brown the marginally brighter of the two.
Darker Colors



Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 10), so neither reads brighter in a room.



With LRVs of 12 and 10, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.


Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 9), so neither reads brighter in a room.















