French Roast

How French Roast behaves on a wall

Sherwin-Williams publishes a light reflectance value of 22.2 for this shade. At LRV 22.2 this is a dark shade. It absorbs far more light than it gives back, which reads as depth in a bright room and as gloom in a north-facing one. Expect to prime if you are covering something much lighter. For trim that reads as a clear edge rather than a smudge, aim about 30 LRV points away — roughly LRV 52 and up. With 41 points between its strongest and weakest channel it holds a readable brown cast, so it will not flatten into a neutral once it is on four walls. 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.