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Riverway by Sherwin Williams is the perfect blue, almost teal paint color. More subtle than a true teal, Riverway is lighter and has a softer appearance.
Let me talk about my favorite colors: teal and Turquoise. I have loved these shades of blue for as long as I can remember. Sure, I loved purple when I was a young gal, but I have since moved on to my big girl favorite colors.
So back to the colors. I want everything in my life to be teal and turquoise. It was one of my wedding colors, I used this gorgeous damask wallpaper in my first home, and I tried to paint all the furniture. I save one of these colors. As you can tell, my love is strong.
Since I’m only a tiny bit obsessed with these colors, I figured I’d share the perfect blue/teal paint color I have found.
Riverway by Sherwin Williams.
I found this beauty, Riverway, about two summers ago when I decided it was time to paint the exterior of our home. Check out this post for a few excellent exterior color options, or this one for the perfect exterior color combinations. These are some of my favorite Sherwin Williams exterior paint colors.
I picked all different paint color options: Grays, Blues, and Whites, just to see what would work best for the house. Your favorite color can be lime green, but is that really the best fit for a home? Maybe if you were living on a tropical island but not in the suburbs of good old New Jersey.
After painstakingly narrowing down the options, we decided that a shade of blue or gray would be the best fit for our home. Some contenders were BM Beach Glass, Ellie Gray, and BM White Dove. We narrowed it down to three shades: Riverway, Passive, and Lazy Gray. I painted them on the front of the house (in massive swatches, of course).
The swatches stayed on the house for longer than I’d like to admit. I’m indecisive, remember? Also, We received some helpful feedback from many of our neighbors, which is a good thing because they all would be looking at the paint colors too. Luckily, Riverway was the favorite of almost everyone.
In the end, Riverway was the teal paint color that was chosen as the winner. The grays seemed too dull, and I really wanted something a little different. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t repeating to myself, What Would Joanna Gaines Do? WWJGD
The teal paint color looks awesome on the house. It’s funny, though, sometimes it looks really teal, and others it looks so blue. Amazing how lighting affects paint colors, right?
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Facts on the perfect teal paint color, Riverway by Sherwin Williams.
STATS ON RIVERWAY
SW Riverway RGB color values are R93, G114, B116.
What is RGB?
RGB (red, green, and blue) refers to a system for representing the colors to be used on a computer display. Red, green, and blue can be combined in various proportions to obtain any color in the visible spectrum. Levels of R, G, and B can each range from 0 to 100 percent of full intensity. Each level is represented by the range of decimal numbers from 0 to 255 (256 levels for each color), equivalent to the range of binary numbers from 00000000 to 11111111, or hexadecimal 00 to FF. The total number of available colors is 256 x 256 x 256, or 16,777,216 possible colors.
To sum up, the higher the number, the lighter the color will be, and the more one of the RGB elements will influence the end color.
SW Riverway has an LRV of 16
What is LRV?
The LRV ( light reflectance value), meaning the amount of light the paint color either absorbs or reflects. So the higher on the scale, the more light it reflective the paint color will be.
As you can see, SW Riverway is low on the LRV scale, so this bad boy isn’t reflecting too much light. This really isn’t much of a concern for the exterior, though.
SW Riverway is part of the West Elm – Spring/Summer 2019 Collection.
Look at me being one step ahead of the game.
It’s also featured in the Sherwin Williams color collections 2015 Voyage and Neutral Nuance.
Where to use this perfect teal paint color, SW Riverway
Everywhere. OK, maybe not everywhere, but just about.
As you can see, SW Riverway is the perfect home exterior paint color. It’s not terribly dark, yet it’s definitely not light. I think it falls right smack in the middle on the color scale.
SW Riverway would also make a stand-out front door paint color. I have a few other gorgeous front door color options in this post. The beautiful teal paint color would really pop against a light gray home.
Use SW Riverway, your perfect paint color, as your interior door paint colors as well, for a little something unexpected.
Find Barn Door Hardware on Amazon
A bonus is that it is an awesome paint color to pair with dark wood!
Try this teal paint color on an accent wall. With SW Riverway having an LRV of 16, it will not be reflecting much light. Using it in a full room may be too dark and heavy for some rooms. However, as an accent wall, you can keep the majority of the room light and airy with a beautiful beige, lighter gray complementary color, or a beautiful white color.
Love this light fixture? Check out these similar styles
If you are feeling bold and have a larger room with a lot of natural light, I say paint the whole room SW Riverway. It’s such a gorgeous teal paint color that will really have your guests talking.
Feeling bold? Use SW Riverway on your kitchen cabinets. If you are one who loves the teal-colored cabinet look but doesn’t want the color to be too powerful, then SW Riverway is the teal paint color for you. The subtle teal-ness this color has makes it pack a punch, just not in the face.
Using Riverway with a subtle color like SW Silverpointe will also make it stand out.
Riverway is also a fantastic paint color to go with honey oak wood.
SW Riverways Coordinating Colors
Topsail 6217
Tinsmith 7657
Tin Lizzie 9163
Riverway looks excellent with many different colors, including, Reflection, Tricorn Black, Caviar, Pure White, and Shoji White.
How about a fun pop of color to go with it? Try a fun, cheery yellow.
Don’t forget about a trim color to pair with Riverway. Atrium White and these white paint colors are great options.
Final Thoughts
I’m sure you already know what I will say about SW Riverway. Eh, it’s ok. J/K It’s perfect, and I love it! (I’ve been watching a lot of Parks and Rec, and in my head, I said that like Leslie Knope. Also, if you don’t watch that show, stop what you are doing and go binge-watch on Netflix!)
If you love the color teal, you will not be disappointed with SW Riverway. This teal paint color gets the teal point across without being too bright and bold. I cannot say enough good about it and I highly recommend it if you are in the market for a beautiful teal paint color!
Don’t Forget!
Finally, as I say in all my paint color posts, make sure you swatch the paint colors you are considering using. The colors you see on the computer look different than a swatch on your home. So, choose a few colors you want to try and swatch those babies. LARGE swatches, too!
Check out my review on Samplize; it’s an easier, mess-free way to swatch!
Trust me choosing the wrong paint color is an expensive mistake you do not want to make.
Want more color inspiration? Pick up your own Sherwin Williams Color fan book
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I’m Cate. As a seasoned paint color consultant and former proprietor of the highly regarded painting company WOW 1 Day Painting in Bergen County, my journey in the world of design and home improvement has been a colorful one, quite literally. Nestled in the scenic landscapes of Northern New Jersey, I’ve cultivated a passion for transforming spaces through the power of paint, furniture restoration, and thoughtful home decor.
Sophia Sutton
Thursday 17th of February 2022
Hello Cate, We are going to have our exterior painted this spring and I really love Riverway as well. However, I am concerned that it may be too dark for our house. The house faces North so is in shadow all day long and the south side gets cooked by the sun. I've been looking at SW Underseas as well and think that may be a better lighter choice. What do you think? Thanks so much, Sophia
Charlene
Monday 21st of June 2021
Would Riverway paint work as accent wall with Accessible Beige paint in dining room?
Sarah
Tuesday 1st of June 2021
I was wondering if you have looked at SW Teal Stencil and how it compares to this color?
Melissa
Sunday 18th of April 2021
I am painting the inside of my house Repose Gray and using Riverway as a complimentary/pop of color...any suggestion on a wallpaper for the master bedroom accent wall? Paint color would be repose gray...but thought a wallpaper could be nice...(going for a farmhouse feel)? Any suggestions would be wonderful. F
Kim
Wednesday 10th of February 2021
Our diningroom is Riverway and “catio” is baguette. Livingroom is Repose.I’m looking for a more dynamic color for the livingroom. Any suggestions? Thank you.