Contented (SW 6191) vs Sea Salt (SW 6204)
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Sea Salt, LRV 63 vs 52.
- Warmer
- Contented, both green-gray (Lab b* 6.2 vs 3.4).
- North rooms
- Sea Salt: keeps more brightness (L* 79.6 vs 73.2 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 0.0 vs 2.4).
- Trim that works
- Spinach White SW 6434, #E4E8DA, LRV 79: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 5.0, clearly different. At 5.0, treat them as different colors.
See each color
Contented (SW 6191) is darker than Sea Salt (SW 6204) and slightly warmer: LRV 52 vs 63, deltaE 5.0 (clearly different).
Side by side
| Measure | Contented | Sea Salt | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6191 | SW 6204 | |
| Hex | #BDC0B3 | #CDD2CA | |
| RGB | 189, 192, 179 | 205, 210, 202 | |
| HSL | 74°, 9%, 73% | 97°, 8%, 81% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 52 | 63 | −11 |
| Lab L* | 77.1 | 83.6 | −6.5 |
| Lab a* | -3.4 | -3.1 | −0.2 |
| Lab b* | 6.2 | 3.4 | +2.8 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Cool Blue-Green | |
| Temperature | warm | cool | |
| Color family | Green | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Contented (SW 6191), published as #BDC0B3
#ACB6B1
#CFCAB3
Sea Salt (SW 6204), published as #CDD2CA
#BBC8C8
#DFDCCA
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Which should you pick
Rules of thumb computed from the LRV and Lab values in the table above; no room test was done.
- Pick Sea Salt (SW 6204) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 11 LRV points lighter (63 vs 52), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Sea Salt (SW 6204) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 3.4 against 6.2, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Contented (SW 6191) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 6.2), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Contented in other brands
Closest matches to Sea Salt in other brands
Common questions
- Is Contented the same color as Sea Salt?
- They are clearly different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 5.0. Contented and Sea Salt are different colors.
- Which is lighter, Contented or Sea Salt?
- Sea Salt, with an LRV of 63 against 52.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). 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.