Moth Wing, SW 9174, is a warm neutral paint color that looks like a light brown. It is a midtone shade that is gaining popularity due to its universal appeal.
Let’s take a deep dive into Moth Wing to help you decide if it is the right paint color for your home.
Sherwin Williams Moth Wing Color Details
Moth Wing is a mid-tone paint color that is warm and moody. It is a neutral shade that hovers between beige and brown, with a good bit of gray in it.
Depending on the lighting, Moth Wing can show green or purple undertones. In my home, Moth Wing tends to pull towards green. This is especially true when it is paired with colors that have more of a taupe look (purple undertones). But, in your home, you may find that Moth Wing leans more purple.
So, like all colors, it is important to test Moth Wing in your home with your finishes to make sure its the right color for you.
Moth Wing has an LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of 29. This means that it is in the medium depth of paint colors. Medium depth paint colors feel luxe and dramatic. They will give a saturated, cozy feeling without being too dark. Not every space can pull off a color this dark, but in the right space, they can be perfect.
Where to Use SW Moth Wing
Moth Wing is a great color to use in living rooms, offices, kitchens or entryways. You can even use it in a bedroom for a cozy vibe.
I also like Moth Wing as an accent color in a home. For example, Moth Wing looks rich and luxurious on kitchen cabinets without being too dark.
On a home exterior, Moth Wing can be a great choice if you have stone or other facades with complimentary undertones. It will look a little bit lighter due to the bright sunlight, but will still have a good bit of saturation.
Moth Wing Color Strip
SW Moth Wing shares a color strip with many other popular paint colors, including:
- Accessible Beige
- Balanced Beige
- Tony Taupe
- Virtual Taupe
- Smokehouse
- Van Dyke Brown
Moth Wing is the center color on the color strip. This means that it is a mid-tone paint color. Some assume that the colors on the Sherwin Williams’ paint strips are all lighter or darker versions of each other. While this is true for some Benjamin Moore paint decks (not all of them!), it isn’t true for Sherwin Williams’ paint decks.
But, Sherwin Williams does tend to group colors together based on their color family and undertones. This means that the color strip is a good place to start when you’re looking for lighter or darker coordinating paint colors for a SW color.
I like Moth Wing with Accessible Beige or Smokehouse because they have enough depth variation to make Moth Wing stand out, and they have undertones that go well with it.
Coordinating Colors for Sherwin Williams Moth Wing
Sherwin Williams pairs Moth Wing with Aesthetic White, Drift of Mist and Downing Slate.
Aesthetic White is a soft white paint color that favors a gray and purple undertone. It could be a great color for a room adjacent to Moth Wing.
Drift of Mist is a slightly darker warm gray that could also work in rooms adjacent to Moth Wing.
Downing Slate is a dark gray paint color that can be an accent to Moth Wing. This shade is better for something like woodwork, cabinets or a painted fireplace due to its depth.
Moth Wing also works with blue-grays like SW Tinsmith, purple/pinks like SW Malted Milk, off-whites like Shoji White, or deep blacks like Tricorn Black.
For more coordinating colors for Sherwin Williams Moth Wing, check out my Moth Wing Etsy paint palette that has been curated to include a variety of light, neutral and accent paint colors.
For wood tones, Moth Wing is good with deep rich woods or natural wood tones.
For metal finishes, Moth Wing is great with brushed gold or unlaquered brass, and can also work with black metals.
You can pair Moth Wing with a light white trim color such as Pure White, or you can paint all your trim in Moth Wing to embrace the color drenching look.
Moth Wing Vs. Other Mid-Tone Neutrals
Overall, Moth Wing is a pretty paint color that is great for someone who wants a dark beige shade or a light brown to draw someone into a space. It looks amazing on cabinets with gold pulls, on a home exterior next to a stone facade, or in a dining room with all the woodwork and ceiling painted in Moth Wing as well.
If you are still on the hunt for the right mid-tone neutral, you may want to check out:
- Sherwin Williams Universal Khaki – for a slightly lighter beige with a green undertone
- Benjamin Moore Baja Dunes – for a slightly lighter mushroom paint color
- Sherwin Williams Griffin – for a slightly darker brown with a purple undertone
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.
Oh, and you can have them in your home by tomorrow with OVERNIGHT shipping!
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.
