After years of grays and whites, warm colors have finally been making a comeback! If you’re ready to warm up your space but don’t want to weigh it down with a dark, heavy color, take a look at Sherwin-Williams Canvas Tan 7531. This creamy soft beige is a cozy, muted color that looks great in both modern and traditional spaces. Let’s take a closer look at its spectral data to see if it’s the right match for your project.
What is the “Undertone” of Canvas Tan? Does Canvas Tan look yellow?
Since everyone perceives color a bit differently, let’s take a look at something a little more objective – the numbers. If you look at Canvas Tan’s spectral data, it has a hue angle of 89.126°. This means it is officially part of the Yellow hue family. Like many neutral paint colors, Canvas Tan also has a pretty low chroma value (9.218), which means that its primary color is muted by a lot of gray.


Will Canvas Tan look yellow on the wall? No, but the intensity of the warmth will change depending on the quality of your light. In a south-facing room or with western afternoon light, it will look warm without being too golden. In a north-facing room or in rooms with little natural light, the warmth will be more muted. Remember, your quality of light changes throughout the day so view a sample of this color on all walls and in a variety of artificial and natural light.
Ceiling is painted in SW Canvas Tan.
Using the right color light bulbs will have a huge impact on this color as well. Under soft white bulbs (2700 K), Canvas Tan looks much yellower, whereas daylight bulbs (4000+ K) will make it look like another color altogether. We recommend always using light bulbs in the 3000 K to 3500 K range for the best, most natural-looking color results. Read our blog post for links to specific bulb recommendations.
Is Canvas Tan warm or cool?
Canvas Tan by Sherwin Williams is in the Yellow hue family. This makes it a warm color.
The wall color is SW7531 Canvas Tan, the ceiling is SW6126 Navajo White, and the trim color is SW7562 Roman Column.
What is the LRV of Canvas Tan?
Light Reflectance Value (LRV) is a measure of how much light a paint reflects back into a room, with 100% being highly reflective and zero being not reflective at all. Canvas Tan has an LRV of 64, which makes it just right for many residential interiors. It’s an especially good color choice for home staging – not only is it a flexible neutral color, but it also reflects a lot of light back into your space without washing out or looking too desaturated.
Wall color is SW Canvas Tan.
You must sample this color in the space you intend to use it before you start putting it on your walls ! (We mail large 8″ x 10″ paint swatches of our recommendations to our Virtual Color Consultation clients.)
Which white trim color goes with Canvas Tan?
When it comes to white trim, I like the clean, low-chroma warmth of Sherwin-Williams Pure White 7005. SW Canvas Tan also pairs well with a slightly creamy off-white, like Sherwin-Williams Alabaster 7008.
Wall paint is Sherwin-Williams Canvas Tan SW7531, and the trim is Alabaster SW7008.
What other paint colors coordinate with Canvas Tan?
Canvas Tan is a relatively muted neutral. It tends to partner best with the following color combinations:
- Some soft cream colors
- Other neutrals that have a lower LRV than it does (i.e., darker)
- Dark earthy greens, dark grays, and navy blue accents
Here’s a sample Sherwin-Williams Canvas Tan color palette we put together for you:

Is Canvas Tan a good exterior paint color?
With the right color roof, Canvas Tan can be a great exterior paint color. It works better on homes that don’t have a lot of brick or stone accents (which often tend to look better with a more golden-beige paint color instead of the lighter creaminess of Canvas Tan). Its LRV of 64 means it will reflect a lot of light and can look much lighter in an outdoor environment than you may expect. Again, view paper samples on the exterior wall prior to painting.
The stucco color is SW Canvas Tan, and the shutters were a custom color mixed on the job site.
What other paint colors are similar to Canvas Tan?
I never, ever recommend color matching between brands. You cannot color match between brands and expect to get identical results. But if you’re looking for something similar to Canva Tan in another brand, here are a few dupes that are a close match based on their spectral data:
- Benjamin Moore White Sand 964
- Behr Roman Plaster PPU7-10
- PPG Paints: Wheat Sheaf PPG14-21
- Glidden Pillar Beige 40YY 67/087
If Canvas Tan isn’t quite hitting the mark for you, there are a few other paint colors within the Sherwin-Williams lines that take a similar approach.
Canvas Tan vs. Natural Tan
Sherwin-Williams Natural Tan 7567 is just a bit cooler than Canvas Tan in terms of its location on the color wheel, but otherwise quite similar in terms of lightness and chroma.
Canvas Tan vs. Manchester Tan
Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan HC-81, on the other hand, is a tad darker (LRV 63) and more saturated in color than Canvas Tan. In other words, Manchester Tan looks a bit yellower by comparison.
Canvas Tan vs. Kilim Beige
Sherwin-Williams Kilim Beige 6106 is darker, warmer, and more colorful than Canvas Tan. In fact, Kilim Beige can almost look a bit peachy by comparison.
Canvas Tan vs. Accessible Beige
Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige 7036 is similar to Canvas Tan in terms of hue but has a lower LRV and a lower chroma value. That means you’ll find it a bit darker and noticeably grayer than Canvas Tan.
Canvas Tan vs. Neutral Ground
Of all the colors listed in this comparison, Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground 7568 is the coolest shade and may even look just a wink green by comparison. With an LRV of 70, Neutral Ground will also reflect more light than Canvas Tan and is actually considered an off-white.
Need help choosing a color?
Need help finding the right paint color? Order a Virtual Color Consultation Report from the color professionals at Three Bears Home Staging to get a custom, curated palette and guidance for your next painting project.

One Room Paint Color Report | Virtual
Need help choosing the best paint colors for your room? Then this is the (virtual) service for you! Based on your questionnaire responses and uploaded photos, we’ll create a personalized digital Paint Color Report just for you. We’ll also send you paint swatches! Click below to learn how it works or to get started!

Exterior Paint Color Report | Virtual
Ready to give your home exterior a fresh new look, but feeling overwhelmed with the decision? Get a little virtual help from the color experts at Three Bears Home Staging! Based on your questionnaire responses and uploaded photos, we’ll create a personalized digital Paint Color Report just for your home’s exterior. We’ll also send you paint swatches! Read below to learn how it works…