Bossa Nova (Behr S540-7)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Bossa Nova (Behr S540-7) is a very deep, cool purple from Behr: LRV 9.4, so it reflects about 9 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Bossa Nova
Three Behr colors picked for Bossa Nova by this site's color math: a trim white, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Behr did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Bossa Nova, ranked by CIEDE2000 (deltaE): under 1.0 is indistinguishable, 1.0 to 2.3 very close, 2.3 to 5 noticeably different, over 5 clearly different.
| Brand | Closest color | Code | LRV | deltaE | How close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Ripe Berry | SW 9689 | 10 | 5.4 | clearly different |
| Benjamin Moore | Stunning | 826 | 8.4 | 4.7 | noticeably different |
| Valspar | Mystified | 4011-8 | 9 | 3.1 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Chinaberry | 1171-7 | 7 | 4.1 | noticeably different |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr purple colors nearest to Bossa Nova (LRV 9.4 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Bossa Nova
Darker than Bossa Nova
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | S540-7 |
| Hex | #51556D |
| RGB | 81, 85, 109 |
| HSL | 231°, 15%, 37% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 9.4 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 36.7, 4.3, -14.3 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Purple |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Bossa Nova (Behr S540-7), published as #51556D
#3F4D6B
#625E6D
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Behr
More from Behr
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Bossa Nova (Behr S540-7)?
- Bossa Nova has an LRV of 9.4 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Bossa Nova is a very deep color.
- What is the closest match to Bossa Nova in another brand?
- Mystified (Valspar 4011-8) from Valspar, at a deltaE of 3.1 (noticeably different).
- Is Bossa Nova warm or cool?
- Behr lists Bossa Nova as cool, with a Cool Blue undertone. Its Lab b* value is -14.3; a higher b* is warmer and yellower, a lower one cooler and bluer.
Sources: hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0); LRV is not published by Behr for this color and is estimated here from the color's own hex value. Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.