Meet your interior designer's favorite moody gray-brown. If you haven't hopped on the Urbane Bronze bandwagon yet, this is your sign.
Urbane Bronze is a crown jewel in the Sherwin-Williams paint deck. We meet a lot of homeowners who want to go bold but are afraid to go too dark. Urbane Bronze is the perfect compromise, making it a certified classic.
So what is it about this deep gray-brown reminiscent of dark oxidized bronze that makes it such a winner? It all comes down to the subtle undertones. Urbane Bronze has a lot of similar undertones to the ever-popular greige sweeping through households around the world but is a bit moodier.
This means you can have a warm neutral in other parts of the house, while giving your dining room, bedroom or office a modern feel. Urbane Bronze will compliment rather than clash — very important if you have an open-concept home.
Is Urbane Bronze brown or gray?
Urbane Bronze is the deeper, bolder shade of SW 7043 Worldly Gray, a gray on the cusp of taupe with a warm undertone. Those tones are more concentrated in Urbane Bronze, but ultimately reads more gray than anything else. When paired with wood accents and warm lighting, there's a touch of brown-green in the undertones that is just lovely. If you've been considering the idea of mushroom tones, Urbane Bronze has a similar vibe but with more intensity.
What colors go well with Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze?
Urbane Bronze pairs beautifully with other historic neutrals — taupe, pewter, even a soft ochre. Look for complimentary colors with a balance of warm and cool undertones.
Try out SW 7042 Shoji White for a creamy off-white beige on the cusp of gray that shares similar undertones. It's a crowd pleaser, offering a fresh alternative to classics like Alabaster or Dover White.
If you're going with Urbane Bronze walls, try SW 7006 Extra White as the color for your trim. There's a subtle touch of green that ties in nicely with the bronze.
Is Urbane Bronze still popular?
Though Urbane Bronze was the Sherwin Williams Color of the Year in 2021, it is still going strong in November 2024. According to Sherwin-Williams, it is still a Top 10 trending color in their stores, and for good reason.
LA-based interior designer David Samuel Ko told Homes & Gardens that his clients are moving away from the safe whites and beiges that have dominated in recent years and are embracing deeper, richer tones.
If you're looking for a similar gray but without the taupe-green undertones, try SW 7674 Peppercorn. Or if you want something similar but a little less “mushroomy”, consider Iron Ore - another Sherwin Williams classic!
Is Urbane Bronze too dark?
How dark is too dark? It really depends on the room. Dark shades in the right room can feel cozy and warm, but in another room, the paint color can make the room feel stuffy and closed. This is definitely one of those colors that changes throughout the day with different colors of light.
In lots of natural light or in an exterior setting (this is a peak modern farmhouse shade, just saying!), you will get more gray and less brown-green tones, but it won't be nearly as cold as Iron Ore or Peppercorn. In a room with minimal windows that relies more on light fixtures, we'd recommend opting for warmer light bulbs and embracing the mushroom tones.
A really popular way of using Urbane Bronze is to use it instead of black or gray with kitchen and bathroom cabinetry (and yes, we can paint your cabinets!?). It takes the edge off hard black accents and opens the room up to more earthy tones.
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