Sherwin Williams Alpaca is a taupe paint color. It is a fairly popular paint shade.
Alpaca has been included in the following Sherwin Williams color collections: Diaphanous, Trendsetter, Living Well – Center, and Top 50 Colors.
If you are interested in painting your home a taupe paint color, keep reading for all the details on Sherwin Williams Alpaca.
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Sherwin Williams Alpaca Paint Color
Sherwin Williams Alpaca Undertones
Alpaca is a taupe paint color. Like all taupe paint colors, this means that it is a blend of gray and beige, with purple/pink undertones.
Most commonly, Alpaca shows its purple undertones. In fact, it has a good bit of purple in it – more than many will want in even a taupe paint color.
So, it is important to proceed with a bit of caution. Don’t rule Alpaca out, but be sure to test it to see how its going to react to the colors and light in your home.
In dim lighting, you will probably see a bit more of the gray in Alpaca. With warm lighting, the purple or beige may show up more.
Is Sherwin Williams Alpaca Warm or Cool?
With its beige and purple undertones, Sherwin Williams Alpaca is a warm paint color. In fact, it is easily classified as a warm gray.
Warm paint colors traditionally have red, orange, or yellow undertones. Cool colors tend to have blue or green undertones.
Purple is an undertone that can be either warm or cool. In the case of Alpaca, it reads more warm.
Sherwin Williams Alpaca LRV
Alpaca has an LRV of 57.
LRV stands for Light Reflectance Value. It is a scale that provides information about how light or dark a paint color is. The scale goes from 0, which is completely black, to 100, which is completely white.
While 57 is pretty near the middle of the scale, Alpaca is still technically classified as a light paint color.
But, Alpaca is a darker light paint color. Because of this, its not the sort of paint shade that you can use just anywhere. You’ll need to make sure you have enough light to support Alpaca.
Where Can I Use Sherwin Williams Alpaca?
Alpaca is a great paint color for anywhere in the house. It works in a living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.
Alpaca is a good paint color for a kitchen that has cabinets with a warm, purple tone to them (which you find in a lot of quartz).
As a note, be careful about pairing Alpaca with yellow tones. The yellow will highlight the purple in Alpaca. If you want to see that purple, pairing it with yellow wood or yellow furnishings is a great way to bring it out. But, if you’d like to show the warmth without the purple, stay away from yellow accents.
Coordinating Paint Colors for Sherwin Williams Alpaca
Alpaca can work with a variety of different shades.
It goes well with warm white paint colors. For instance, Sherwin Williams pairs Alpaca with Alabaster, a creamy white paint color.
In addition, Alpaca looks good with other warm neutrals with similar undertones. Simple White is a great example of a warm neutral that coordinates with Alpaca due to both of them having purple undertones.
Alpaca also works with pink and purple paint colors, such as Moonlit Orchid. When you pair Alpaca with a purple, you tend to cancel out the purple in it, making Alpaca take on more of its gray and beige. This can be a great way to neutralize some of the purple in Alpaca.
Trim Paint Colors for Sherwin Williams Alpaca
As I mentioned earlier, Alpaca tends to go best with neutral and warm white paint colors with similar undertones.
For example, Snowbound has a similar purple undertone to Alpaca, making Snowbound a great coordinating trim color for it. Snowbound is a warm white paint color that looks a bit muted on your trim.
You can learn more about Snowbound here.
If you prefer a brighter white trim color, High Reflective White is a very clean white paint color. It goes with just about any other paint shade, and Alpaca is no exception.
You can learn more about High Reflective White here.
Sherwin Williams Alpaca Compared
Each time I do an in-depth review of a paint color, I like to also compare it to other paint colors as well.
First, this is helpful in seeing how a color actually looks. When you compare two similar colors to each other, you really see the undertones stand out.
Second, when people are trying to find a paint color, they are typically looking at several different but similar shades. Discussing the top paint colors of a color family can help people decide which is going to be a good choice for their home.
Sherwin Williams Alpaca vs. Agreeable Gray
Agreeable Gray is probably Sherwin Williams most popular paint color. It is a go-to paint color for homeowners and designers, because it just works in a lot of spaces.
Like Alpaca, Agreeable Gray is a warm gray. While Alpaca is considered a taupe due to its purple undertones, Agreeable Gray is considered a greige due to its green undertones. So they are similar shades that have different approaches.
In addition, Alpaca has a bit more depth to it than Agreeable Gray. Their LRVs are similar, but Agreeable Gray just feels a tiny bit lighter on your walls than Alpaca does.
If you like Alpaca, but you’re unsure about those purple undertones, Agreeable Gray might be a good choice for you. But, if you have a space that has other warm tones in it that work well with a purple undertone, Alpaca will be a better pick.
You can learn more about Agreeable Gray here.
Sherwin Williams Alpaca vs. Repose Gray
Repose Gray is a second popular warm gray by Sherwin Williams. Repose Gray has a blue undertone though, which makes it a bit more balanced than the warmth in Agreeable Gray or Alpaca.
Repose Gray and Alpaca have almost identical LRVs. They have about the same weight on your walls.
If you like Alpaca, Repose Gray is another great color to try out alongside of it to see which one goes better in your home. If your home has more warm tones yellows, Repose Gray may work better. If you have more warm tones with pinks and purples, Alpaca may be a good choice.
You can learn more about Repose Gray here.
Wondering How To Pick the Perfect Paint Color?
I have the best solution for you!
Samplize sells peel and stick paint samples in almost every paint color.
These no-mess, peel and stick sheets are made from real paint, so they will show you exactly what the paint color will look like.
Simply place them on your walls next to your trim, furnishings or fixed elements, and easily see which paint color works best in your space and with your lighting.
Then, peel the sheet off your wall and reapply it somewhere else if you like. You can try several different paint colors with no mess, no fuss and no cleaning paint brushes.
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As a bonus, be sure to use the code LoveRemodeled10 at check out to get an extra 10% off! Samplize sheets are cheaper than a sample can of paint, and way less work.
They are the easiest (and fastest!) way to try a paint color in your home, with no hassle.
Final Thoughts on Sherwin Williams Alpaca
Alpaca is a great taupe paint color, but remember, it can look purple at times. So, before painting your whole house in Alpaca, pick up a Samplize sheet to make sure it works in your space and with your lighting.
Have a question? Leave me a comment! Remember to check back for a response – it may take me up to a week or two depending on how busy I am, but I’ll be sure to get back to you!
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