Sherwin-Williams Worldly Gray SW 7043 Review: A Warm, Versatile Greige

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Last Updated on September 23, 2026 by Cate

Sherwin-Williams Worldly Gray SW 7043 is a warm greige paint color that blends gray and beige with subtle green undertones. It has enough warmth to feel inviting without looking overly beige, making it a versatile choice for living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and open-concept spaces. Worldly Gray pairs beautifully with warm whites, natural wood, stone, and earthy neutrals, creating a timeless backdrop that works with many decorating styles.

TRY A SAMPLIZE SAMPLE OF WORLDLY GRAY

STATS

Let’s start with a few quick stats on Worldly Gray.

R:206G:198B:187
Hex Value:#cec6bb
LRV:57

With an LRV of 57, Worldly isn’t the lightest neutral paint color you will find; however, it’s certainly not the darkest either.

To refresh your memories, LVR ( light reflectance value), is the amount of light the paint color either absorbs or reflects, is slightly higher on the scale. So the higher on the scale, the more light it reflects, the paint color will be. A great article to read to learn more about LRV is Light Reflectance Value: What Do Those Numbers Mean?

COLOR COLLECTIONS

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WHAT COLOR IS WORLDLY GRAY?

Worldly Gray is a gray paint color. It can also be considered a greige. It’s the lighter version of SW Amazing Gray.

A great way I like to describe it is as a soft neutral gray paint color.

IS WORLDLY GRAY WARM OR COOL?

Worldly Gray is a warm gray paint color. At a glance, you can tell it favors the warmer side. Now, if you were to start comparing other paint colors to Worldly Gray, it may look warmer or cooler compared to the contrasting color.

A good example would be comparing Worldly Gray to SW Kilim Beige. You can clearly see that Kilim Beige is the warmer of the two paint colors. Worldly Gray is cooler in comparison.

If you were to compare Worldly Gray to SW Passive, WG is the warmer color of the two.

I find comparing paint colors is a fantastic way to help you in your paint color search.

IS SHERWIN WILLIAMS WORLDLY GRAY CONSIDERED A GREIGE?

Worldly Gray entryway — via @bloomingintheburbs on instagram

Yes, SW Worldly Gray can be considered a greige. Depending on what’s going on in a room, like lighting, direction, and elements, it can look either more or less greige.

WHAT UNDERTONES DOES WORLDLY GRAY HAVE?

Worldly Gray has undertones that are mainly green with a tiny sprinkling of violet. Now, here’s what can be frustrating about undertones: depending on what is going on in your space, those undertones will or will not show up.

When I say “what’s going on in your space,” I mean the lighting, your decor, and the fixed elements in the room.

Oh, undertones! How you like to confuse and frustrate everyone.

WORLDLY GRAY AND LIGHTING

Lighting is definitely a contributing factor in how Worldly Gray will look in your home.

Lighting plays a large role in how you will perceive a color. For this reason, it’s a good idea to be familiar with the lighting situation of the room you are choosing the right paint color for. In this case, Wordly G.

NORTH-FACING ROOMS – Light in North-facing rooms comes off cooler and somewhat bluish. Lighter colors will appear more muted, while bolder colors will show up or appear more solid.

A North-facing room is where you will see Worldly Gray look a bit cooler and more like a gray. The cooler, bluish lighting will enhance the cool tones in the color.

SOUTH-FACING ROOMS – In south-facing rooms, there tends to be a consistently bright light throughout the day. Warm and cool tones work with south-facing light. This light intensifies colors, so darker colors will seem a bit brighter while softer colors will appear to look like they are gleaming.

South-facing rooms tend to have the best lighting, and they really make a paint color shine. WR will look lighter, brighter, and show its warmth in a south-facing room.

EAST-FACING ROOMS – East-facing rooms have the brightest light in the mornings, with a yellow-orange tone. If an east-facing room will be used mainly in the evenings, going with a warm palette will help balance the lack of natural light.

WEST-FACING ROOMS – Early evening is when West-facing rooms have the most favorable light. Warmer tones might seem overwhelming because of the red-orange light they give off. However, if the main use for the room is in the mornings, the colors won’t appear as strong as they would in the evening.

WHERE CAN YOU USE SW WORLDLY GRAY?

KITCHEN

A great place to use SW Worldly Gray is in the kitchen. It’s not only a great option for the walls but also for the kitchen cabinets. Because it’s a heavier gray, it holds up well, making it a perfect choice for the cabinets.

Photo by The Kitchen Store – Search home design design ideas

READ MORE: HOW TO PAINT KITCHEN CABINETS

BATHROOM

Using Worldly Gray in the bathroom is a fantastic idea. Whether it’s used on the walls or the bathroom vanity, this gray is a great option.

A good thing to remember is that since most bathrooms are smaller and have less light than say a living room, it will look darker and it may even look dull at times. This is another reason I ALWAYS suggest swatching your paint colors.

LIVING ROOM

If a large living room with a ton of natural light, Worldly Gray will be a showstopper. It’s the perfect mid-toned neutral gray to use on your walls. It creates a gorgeous backdrop for all your furnishings and decor.

BEDROOM

Painting your bedroom walls y is a great idea. This color will provide a beautiful warmth to the room without being overly warm. It’s going to give you all the cozy vibes for sure. It’s simply a fantastic neutral gray that will work with almost any decor style.

Want to Test Like a Pro?

Choosing the right color takes more than just love at first swatch. I created a printable guide that walks you through how to test paint colors properly—from sampling in different lighting to comparing undertones.

Download the Paint Color Testing Guide here ➝

EXTERIOR

Though it’s not one of the more popular gray choices to use on the full exterior of a home, Worldly Gray is still a beautiful option. Just like all paint colors on the exterior, it will lighten. So you can expect Worldly Gray to look more like a white with a gray undertone to it.

It would make a great exterior trim color when paired with a darker color, such as SW Anonymous or something even more bold, like Tricorn Black.

HOW TO LIGHTEN SHERWIN WILLIAMS WORLDLY GRAY

Another way to use Worldly is by lightening it by 50%, 25%, or whatever % you want. Basically, this means when mixing a color, you start with your base, which is white. Then to that, you add colorant to make the color of your choice.

So let’s say we were adding 12 drops of blue and 12 drops of black colorant into the white base. To lighten that color you’d equally reduce the number of drops.. 12 drops now become 6 drops.

gray interior door — via @blissfureverfarmhouse

Bliss from @blissfureverfarmhouse used this lightening method on all the interior doors in her gorgeous home. She lightened it by 50%, and the result turned out fantastic.

worldly gray doors — via @blissfureverfarmhouse

WORLDLY GRAY COORDINATING COLORS

Being a neutral paint color, Worldly Gray tends to work well with a wide variety of other paint colors, including timeless black paint colors. Some Sherwin Williams colors it works swimmingly well with are :

Naval
Pure White
Urbane Bronze
Anonymous
Shoji White
Sea Salt
Caviar

I particularly like how WG looks with navy blue, blue-gray, and green paint colors.

Don’t forget about a trim color. These white paint colors are great options. Also, it’s a great paint color to go with honey oak wood.

SAMPLE COLOR PALETTE FOR WORLDLY GRAY

I know that creating a color palette for your home can be a bit confusing or even terrifying for some.

Don’t worry about it, I got you!

I created a few sample color palettes for Worldly Gray so you don’t have to even think about it.

Want a little more inspiration? Check out how interior designer Holly Bellomy incorporated it with bold colors in this office.

Colors used:

Worldly Gray SW 7043
Alabaster SW 7008
Exuberant Pink SW 6840
Salty Dog SW 9177

WAIT! Before you start painting, make sure you have the best painting tools to make your job easier. It will take hours off your painting time!

SIMILAR COLORS TO WORLDLY GRAY

With the number of paint colors out there, there are bound to be a few colors that look almost identical or very, very similar to one another. Obviously, no two colors from the same brand are the same. That would be silly. But there are a few paint colors that come pretty close.

Here are some colors that are comparable to Worldly Gray:

WHAT IS THE BENJAMIN MOORE EQUIVALENT TO WORLDLY GRAY?

There is no true Benjamin Moore equivalent to Sherwin Williams Worldly Gray. There are several colors that are quite similar but surely not identical. The one Benjamin Moore color that is a fairly close match is:

Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter

As I said, not identical but close.

If you’re considering color-matching Worldly Gray in Benjamin Moore paint, I highly recommend you purchase a sample first. Sometimes, when you color-match between paint manufacturers, the colors don’t come out exactly. This is because each brand uses different formulas to create its paint colors.

READ MORE: THE BEST BENJAMIN MOORE GRAYS

HOW SHOULD YOU SAMPLE YOUR PAINT COLORS?

Instead of going to your nearest paint store to grab samples, try Samplize Peel & Stick paint samples.

Why should you try Samplize?

Super affordable
Mess-free
Non-damaging
Made with real manufacturer paint
Displays color just like a wall
Environmental friendly
Reusable

These peel-and-stick paint samples are super affordable and let you test a paint color in different areas of a room without the mess of a traditional paint sample!

You know how I feel about testing paint colors; it’s a must!

Don’t create more work for yourself. Order Samplize now and have them shipped directly to you. No fuss, no mess! Check them out for yourself; you won’t be disappointed.

TRY SAMPLIZE NOW

WORLDLY GRAY VS AGREEABLE GRAY

TRY A SAMPLIZE SAMPLE OF AGREEABLE GRAY

Let’s examine the difference between the extremely popular Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray and Worldly Gray. These two are pretty dang similar; however, a few differences make them the colors they are.

Agreeable Gray has an LRV of 60, which is a bit higher than WG’s LRV of 57.
Agreeable Gray is also a warm gray or greige paint color.
Both Worldly Gray and Agreeable Gray have a predominantly mild green undertone. However, it’s possible for Worldly Gray to flash a violet undertone at times.
Both gray paint colors are very versatile and can be used throughout your home.
WG is a hair cooler and softer shade of paint color than Agreeable Gray.

Agreeable Gray vs Worldly Gray – Full Color Comparison

WORLDLY GRAY VS REPOSE GRAY

TRY A SAMPLIZE SAMPLE OF REPOSE GRAY

Repose Gray has an LRV of 58
Repose Gray is the cooler of the two grays.
As for undertones, Worldly favors green. Whereas Repose Gray can lean more towards violet or blue.

WORLDLY GRAY VS REVERE PEWTER

TRY A SAMPLIZE SAMPLE OF REVERE PEWTER

Revere Pewter has an LRV of 55.51.
Revere Pewter has a touch more warmth to it, but only a touch.
Both have a hint of green.
Comparing these two, you can see how similar they are.
Revere Pewter can sometimes look a bit muddy.

WORLDLY GRAY COLOR STRIP

Sherwin Williams has a fan deck that shows all of their paint colors. Most people do not have these fan decks, but if you are curious about the colors that are on the same color strip as WR in the fan deck,k here they are:

Worldly Gray SW7043
Amazing Gray SW 7044
Intellectual Gray SW 7045
Felted Wool SW 9171
Anonymous SW 7046
Porpoise SW 7047
Urbane Bronze SW 7048

Want your own Sherwin Williams fan deck?

FINAL THOUGHTS

We have made it to the end. Are you ready for my final thoughts on this paint color?

Quite frankly, I think Worldly Gray is a fantastic gray paint color. It’s gray, it’s neutral, and it is gorgeous. It’s just a great all-around paint color.

Now it’s not the lightest gray,y and it can look a little dull or dingy in smaller rooms with little to no lighting. But in rooms with enough light, I think WR is a great option.

If you are looking for a soft gray with a bit of warmth to it, I highly suggest grabbing a sample of Sherwin-Williams Worldly Gray!

TRY A SAMPLE TODAY

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Cate Griffing