Agreeable Gray vs Repose Gray: Which Greige Wins?

Agreeable Gray vs Repose Gray is the great greige standoff.

They’re two of the most popular neutrals Sherwin Williams has ever made, they sit two spots apart on the color wheel of public opinion, and they get mistaken for each other constantly. Builders use both. Designers argue about both. And if you’re repainting right now, you’ve probably got both swatches taped to your wall.

So let’s settle it: side by side specs, the real undertone difference, and a room-by-room verdict. By the end, you’ll know which greige belongs in your house.

The Quick Answer

If you just want the verdict: Agreeable Gray is the warmer, more forgiving greige. Repose Gray is the truer, cooler, more modern gray.

Agreeable Gray leads with beige and flatters warm finishes. Repose Gray leads with gray and flatters cool, contemporary spaces. They’re close enough in depth that lighting matters more than the swatch, and far enough apart in temperature that your floors and furniture should make the call.

If your home says farmhouse, transitional, or cozy: Agreeable Gray. If it says modern, contemporary, or crisp: Repose Gray. The details below fill in the rest.

Meet the Contenders

Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray SW 7029

The most popular paint color of the 2010s, and the greige that survived the gray purge because it was never really gray. Warm, balanced, and built to get along with everything. Full details in my Agreeable Gray review.

Sherwin Williams Repose Gray SW 7015

The designer’s gray. Repose Gray commits further to gray than Agreeable Gray does, with a soft taupe warmth underneath that keeps it from going cold. It’s the gray people choose when they actually want their walls to read gray.

Specs Side by Side

Spec	Agreeable Gray SW 7029	Repose Gray SW 7015
Brand	Sherwin Williams	Sherwin Williams
Hex	#D1CBC1	#C2BEB5
RGB	209, 203, 193	194, 190, 181
LRV	60	58
Undertone	Beige-forward greige	Gray-forward, soft taupe
Personality	Warm, agreeable, safe	Cleaner, cooler, more modern

Two points of LRV is nothing. In practice they’re the same lightness. The whole decision is temperature.

The Undertone Difference

Here’s where they genuinely part ways.

Agreeable Gray softens its gray with a generous pour of beige. In warm light it reads almost tan, and it makes friends with wood tones, brass, and cream effortlessly. Its occasional quirk: a faint violet flash against certain fabrics.

Repose Gray keeps the beige on a shorter leash. It reads gray first, with a soft taupe warmth underneath and, in some light, its own whisper of violet. The result is a cleaner, more deliberate gray that still won’t freeze a room the way a true cool gray can.

The practical translation: Agreeable Gray blends in, Repose Gray makes a quiet statement.

Room by Room: Who Wins Where

Whole house walls: Agreeable Gray

The warmer greige tolerates more furniture, more floors, and more lighting situations without a stumble, which is exactly what a whole home neutral needs to do. Repose Gray can run a whole house too, but it asks for more coordinated, cooler leaning finishes to look its best everywhere.

Living rooms: a style call

True tie. Agreeable Gray gives you the warm, welcoming family room. Repose Gray gives you the cleaner, more editorial one. Both photograph beautifully, both work with white trim, and both let the furniture lead.

Bedrooms: Repose Gray, narrowly

There’s a reason its name is Repose. The slightly grayer cast reads calm and serene in a bedroom, especially with white bedding and soft textures. Agreeable Gray is lovely here too, but Repose Gray owns the restful mood.

Kitchens and cabinets: Repose Gray for modern, Agreeable Gray for farmhouse

On cabinets, Repose Gray reads sleeker and more current against white quartz and black hardware. Agreeable Gray cabinets read softer and friendlier. Match the pick to the kitchen’s personality, and neither will let you down.

North facing and dim rooms: Agreeable Gray

The extra beige earns its keep in cold light. Repose Gray’s grayer base can go flat and chilly in a dim north room, while Agreeable Gray holds a little warmth. Neither is a miracle worker in a dark room, but the warmer greige loses less.

Exteriors: Agreeable Gray

Sunlight washes both lighter, and here the warmth helps again. Agreeable Gray reads as a soft, friendly light gray outdoors, while Repose Gray can wash toward a flatter concrete tone in full sun. Pair either with white trim and black windows.

Choose Agreeable Gray If…

• You want one neutral for the whole house with minimal risk
• Your finishes lean warm: wood tones, brass, cream
• Your style is farmhouse, transitional, or traditional
• Your rooms are dim or north facing
• You’re painting for resale and want the safest pick

Choose Repose Gray If…

• You want walls that actually read gray
• Your finishes lean cool: white quartz, black, nickel, marble
• Your style is modern, contemporary, or minimal
• You’re painting a bedroom and want maximum calm
• Agreeable Gray looks too tan on your sample board

Can You Use Them Together?

Yes, and this is where these two differ from most lookalike pairs. Because they share a family resemblance but differ visibly in temperature, they can layer in the same home: Agreeable Gray in the warm, social spaces and Repose Gray in bedrooms or a cooler finished kitchen.

I’d still keep them on separate floors or separated by a hallway rather than side by side on adjoining walls, where the difference reads as a mismatch instead of a choice. And if you want more contrast than these two can give each other, my Accessible Beige review covers the warmer road and my Urbane Bronze review covers the dark accent that flatters both.

Color Reference Table

Color	Code	Hex	LRV
Agreeable Gray	SW 7029	#D1CBC1	60
Repose Gray	SW 7015	#C2BEB5	58
Mindful Gray	SW 7016	#BBB6AD	48
Accessible Beige	SW 7036	#D1C7B8	58
Pure White	SW 7005	#EEEEE6	84
Alabaster	SW 7008	#EDEAE0	82
Urbane Bronze	SW 7048	#54504A	8

FAQs

Is Repose Gray warmer or cooler than Agreeable Gray?
Cooler. Both are greiges, but Repose Gray leads with gray while Agreeable Gray leads with beige, so Repose reads noticeably grayer side by side.

Do Agreeable Gray and Repose Gray have the same undertones?
They’re related but not identical. Both can flash a faint violet in certain light, but Agreeable Gray’s base is beige while Repose Gray’s is a soft gray-taupe.

What trim color works with both?
Pure White. It’s crisp enough for Repose Gray’s modern lean and clean enough for Agreeable Gray without turning the scheme yellow, which makes it the safe pick if you use both colors in one home.

Final Thoughts

Agreeable Gray vs Repose Gray comes down to one question: do you want your gray warm or true?

Warm rooms, warm finishes, and whole house safety point to Agreeable Gray. Cleaner lines, cooler finishes, and serene bedrooms point to Repose Gray. Sample both side by side, check them against your floors, and the answer usually announces itself by dinner.

For the deeper dive on the warm contender, my full Agreeable Gray review covers undertones, mistakes, and whether the famous greige is dated. And if this comparison ends with you wanting no gray at all, Accessible Beige is the warm answer.

Happy painting, friends.

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