Our Review of Sherwin Williams’ Urbane Bronze
By: Sarah
We can’t believe that we haven’t written an exterior paint color review of Sherwin Williams’ Urbane Bronze yet! We love using this color in all sorts of exterior applications. And it’s clearly a popular hue, as Sherwin Williams named it their 2021 color of the year. Read on for why we love this color, its technical specs, how our designers use it, and more.
In this post, you may notice that some of the home renderings below look a bit different from one another, even though they all make use of the same paint color. That’s because our virtual exterior design services take into account natural light, the direction your home faces, the surface on which you’re going to paint, and other environmental considerations. Paint colors read very differently dependent on their setting, and our designers are experts in using these factors to create realistic renderings.
Urbane Bronze: The Specs
Urbane Bronze is a dark and warm greige paint color with gorgeous depth and fantastic range. With an LRV of 8, it definitely leans dark, but we wouldn’t consider it anywhere near black. (Understanding LRV is hugely important before selecting an exterior paint color!)
The way Urbane Bronze reads on an exterior varies greatly depending on natural light. We find that it can appear more gray, yet still with some worth, in north-facing light but comes across as warmer and richer on south- or west-facing walls. It also has a green undertone that you’ll want to factor in. All of this complexity is part of what makes us love Urbane Bronze. It’s interesting! And it fits with the in-vogue earth-tone color palette and exterior paint trends we’re seeing for 2022.
Recommended Applications for Urbane Bronze
Our designers have used Urbane Bronze on siding, stucco, and brick. It’s a great base color and can also work well to highlight an architectural accent or on trim. It pairs beautifully with warm building materials. As you can see below, it even harmonizes with red brick, which is a notoriously difficult material to work with in a color palette.
Urbane Bronze is a great color choice for contemporary homes. It can also bring a modern or transitional feel to homes and properties with more traditional architecture.
Urbane Bronze Paint Color Pairings
We love using Urbane Bronze with warm off-white paint colors like Seapearl (above), Alabaster (below), and Shoji White.
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This warm greige tone also pairs beautifully with black and near-black paint colors, as in the example below, which features Tricorn Black on the trim.
Note that we don’t recommend pairing Urbane Bronze with cool gray paint colors. It works best when paired with warm colors and materials.
Pros & Cons of Sherwin Williams’ Urbane Bronze
PROS:
- Versatile
- Warm and luxurious without feeling staid or stuffy
- On-trend in 2021 with expectations for continued popularity
CONS:
- Beware of Urbane Bronze’s undertones and tendency to change dependent on natural light. As always, test before you commit!
- Doesn’t work well with cool paint colors or building materials
Urbane Bronze Alternatives
Love the vibe of Urbane Bronze but looking for something a bit warmer, cooler, darker, or lighter? Or just want to test it against some other similar paint colors? Good choice. Here are some alternatives you should research:
Sherwin Williams’ Black Fox
Sherwin Williams’ Black Fox is one notch darker than Urbane Bronze on the LRV scale. It comes across as a bit more brown-meets-black, with a stronger portion of red in the mix. Our designers have begun using Black Fox more frequently lately.
We always recommend sampling and testing paint colors before committing. Factors such as natural lighting, undertones, and your property’s fixed elements will have a significant impact on how a color will appear on your exterior. Our friends at Samplize offer extra-large 9 x 14.75 inch peel-and-stick paint samples of the colors we love for exteriors. Order your ‘Real Paint, No Mess’ samples from Samplize here.
Benjamin Moore’s Iron Mountain
Benjamin Moore’s Iron Mountain has an LRV of 9, so it’s a couple of notches lighter than Urbane Bronze. Iron Mountain is more of a charcoal gray than a greige, with a fairly distinct blue undertone.
Benjamin Moore’s Deep Creek / Sherwin Williams’ Porpoise
As we mentioned in our post on the best exterior house colors of 2022, Benjamin Moore’s Deep Creek and Sherwin Williams’ Porpoise are strikingly similar paint colors. (The home above is rendered in Deep Creek.) They are also, like Urbane Bronze, warm greige colors. However, both have an LRV of 13, meaning they are decidedly lighter than Urbane Bronze.
The Bottom Line on Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze
Urbane Bronze is one of the most beloved exterior paint colors in our designers’ repertoire, and for good reason. It’s rich and bold without being galvanizing. We hope the renderings and description of Urbane Bronze in this post have inspired you to consider it for your exterior renovations!
We’re passionate about exterior paint colors — and front doors, and shutters, and walkways, and all of the design elements that make for stunning curb appeal. Our expert exterior designers are ready and waiting to partner with you on bringing your exterior dreams to life. Get started today.
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