Downing Slate

How Downing Slate behaves on a wall

Sherwin-Williams publishes a light reflectance value of 49.3 for this shade. At LRV 49.3 this sits mid-scale — dark enough to hold its own against white trim, light enough not to close a room in. Mid-tones shift the most between daylight and lamplight, so check it at both ends of the day. For trim that reads as a clear edge rather than a smudge, aim about 30 LRV points away in either direction — under LRV 19 or over LRV 79. Its blue channel runs ahead of its red, so it reads cool and will sharpen next to steel, glass and grey stone. Order by the code, not the name, and put a test patch on the wall before you commit — a screen cannot show you how this shade behaves in your own light.