Blackberry
What Blackberry Actually Looks Like
Blackberry SW 7577 lands far darker than its name might suggest. On the wall it reads as a deep, almost-black wine tone, somewhere between aged merlot and dried blackberry, with enough darkness that in low light it can flatten to near-black entirely. That LRV of 4.8 tells you almost everything: the paint absorbs rather than reflects, so any room it enters immediately feels more enclosed and moody.
In stronger daylight the color opens up just enough to reveal its depth. You start to catch the purple-leaning warmth underneath the darkness, and the overall impression becomes something closer to an ink-stained eggplant than a flat black. Sheen matters here. A flat or matte finish will read heavier and more matte-black than the color actually is, while a satin or semi-gloss finish allows enough light to bounce back that the berry and wine character becomes visible. On cabinetry or a front door where semi-gloss is standard, the color feels richer and more intentional than it does on a flat-painted wall.
Blackberry Undertones
The undertone story on Blackberry is genuinely contested, and that disagreement is worth knowing before you commit. Sherwin-Williams catalogs it under reds, and there is a red-wine quality present, especially against warm white trim. But many reviewers describe its dominant character as purple, specifically a dark, sophisticated eggplant purple that leans away from true red once it is on the wall. Neither read is wrong; the color legitimately straddles the two families depending on conditions.
What tips the balance is light direction and what surrounds it. In north-facing rooms or under cooler artificial light, the purple side wins convincingly and the color can read close to a dark plum. In south- or west-facing rooms with warm afternoon sun, the red-wine quality comes forward more strongly and the purple recedes. Brown and black undertones are also present in both reads, and those are what keep this color from tipping into anything grape-y or theatrical. They ground it and give it a more wearable, lived-in gravity.
Because the undertone swing is real and the LRV is so low, sampling is not optional here. A two-inch paint chip will look almost black in the store. Put a large painted sample board on the actual wall, observe it through a full day and into evening under your artificial lighting, and check it next to your trim and flooring before you decide.
Where Blackberry Works Best
Blackberry earns its keep in rooms where you want drama and enclosure rather than openness. Powder rooms are a natural home: the small square footage that might make a dark color feel claustrophobic in a bedroom instead becomes an asset when the goal is a jewel-box effect. Dining rooms work well for the same reason, especially in spaces that rely on candlelight or warm pendants in the evening, because those conditions play directly into the color's moody depth. An accent wall in a bedroom or living room gives you the drama without committing the whole room to an LRV of 4.8.
Cabinets and furniture are where Blackberry has attracted some of its strongest reviews. On kitchen or bathroom cabinetry it reads as a rich, intentional alternative to the black cabinet trend, offering warmth that flat black does not. Front doors and shutters are also strong applications, particularly on homes with warm brick, stone, or cream-colored siding where the wine-purple tone complements natural materials instead of fighting them.
Light and orientation matter. Rooms with generous natural light, large windows, or good mirror placement handle this color well. Rooms that are already dim or north-facing will see the color flatten to near-black for most of the day, which can feel oppressive in spaces where you spend significant time. Exterior applications benefit from the full-spectrum reading that outdoor light provides, which tends to make the berry depth more visible than indoor artificial light does.
Where to put Blackberry
A powder room is one of the best places to commit fully to Blackberry on all four walls. The small square footage becomes an asset rather than a liability, and the low LRV of 4.8 delivers the jewel-box atmosphere the space can hold. Warm metallic fixtures in brass or aged bronze amplify the wine and berry depth.
Dining rooms, especially those used primarily in the evening, let Blackberry do exactly what it is built for. Candlelight and warm overhead fixtures bring out the red-wine undertone and give the color genuine warmth. Keep the ceiling and trim in a warm white to prevent the room from feeling entirely consumed by darkness.
A single accent wall in a living room or bedroom lets you introduce Blackberry's depth without letting the LRV of 4.8 dominate the whole space. The wall behind a bed or a fireplace works particularly well, creating a visual anchor that the room organizes around. Balance the remaining walls with a warm, light neutral.
Kitchen or bathroom cabinets in Blackberry offer a warmer alternative to the trending flat-black cabinet look. In a semi-gloss finish the berry and wine character becomes visible in a way that flat black simply is not capable of. Pair with warm white uppers or a light countertop to keep the space from reading too dark.
On a front door, Blackberry reads as a rich, sophisticated color that works especially well against warm brick, cream siding, or natural stone. Full outdoor light gives the color enough dimension to reveal its depth beyond near-black, and the low LRV still provides strong curb-appeal contrast against lighter exterior walls.
What to Pair With Blackberry
Sherwin-Williams coordinates Blackberry with three colors that each offer a different approach to balancing its weight. Ibis White SW 7000 is a soft warm white that keeps the contrast crisp without going stark or cool, which is the pairing most likely to let the berry depth of the dark color read clearly on trim and ceilings. Vanillin SW 6371 is a creamy pale yellow that echoes the warm undertones in Blackberry and creates a combination that feels collected and warm rather than high-contrast. Pearl Gray SW 0052 is a soft green-gray that works well for anyone who wants to use Blackberry as a true accent against a quieter, cooler backdrop.
Beyond those three, the research consensus points to warm, mid-tone neutrals as the most reliable partners. A creamy off-white on the ceiling prevents a room from feeling like a cave. On the floor, natural wood tones and warm-veined stone both read beautifully against this depth. Avoid pairing Blackberry with cool blue-grays or stark bright whites unless you specifically want the contrast to feel sharp and graphic, because against truly cool tones the purple undertone can tip toward looking cold itself.
Also coordinates with Ibis White, Vanillin.
Blackberry vs similar colors
All comparisons are matched against Blackberry at LRV 4.8.
Colors that clash with Blackberry
When Blackberry is used as an accent against cool blue-gray walls, its purple undertone picks up those cool tones aggressively and the combination can read cold and mismatched rather than intentional.
Bright, blue-white trim against Blackberry creates a jarring contrast that emphasizes the purple-eggplant side of the color and can make the overall combination feel stark and hard rather than rich and moody.
Strong orange-toned wood floors or yellow accent walls placed directly alongside Blackberry pull its undertones in conflicting directions, and the color can look simultaneously too red and too purple with no coherent identity.
Common questions
Blackberry SW 7577 is a very deep, near-black wine color that reads as a dark purple-red, sometimes described as eggplant or dried-blackberry. With an LRV of 4.8 it absorbs almost all light, so in dim conditions it can appear nearly black, while in direct daylight the berry and wine depth becomes more visible.
The LRV of Blackberry SW 7577 is 4.8. That is an extremely low reflectance value, meaning the color absorbs most of the light that hits it. For context, true black paints are typically around 0 and bright white paints are around 90 to 100, so 4.8 places this color firmly in near-black territory.
The Sherwin-Williams color code is SW 7577. The hex value is #533640 and the RGB breakdown is 83 red, 54 green, 64 blue.
The undertone is genuinely debated. Sherwin-Williams places it in the reds family, and a red-wine quality is present, particularly next to warm whites. Many independent reviewers, however, describe the dominant undertone as purple or eggplant, especially in north-facing rooms or under cooler artificial lighting. Brown and black undertones are also present in both reads, which keep the color grounded and prevent it from looking grape-y. Because the balance shifts with light conditions, sampling on your actual wall over a full day is essential before committing.
Sherwin-Williams coordinates Blackberry with Ibis White SW 7000 (a soft warm white for trim and ceilings), Vanillin SW 6371 (a creamy pale yellow that echoes warm undertones), and Pearl Gray SW 0052 (a soft green-gray for a quieter backdrop). Independently, warm creamy off-whites, natural wood tones, and warm-veined stone are frequently cited as strong partners. Avoid cool blue-grays and stark cool whites, which pull the color toward an unwanted cold-purple reading.
Yes on all three counts. It is rated for both interior and exterior use. On a front door or shutters it reads as a rich, sophisticated dark color that works especially well against warm brick, cream siding, or natural stone, where outdoor light reveals enough depth to distinguish it from flat black. On cabinets, a satin or semi-gloss finish brings out the wine-and-berry character that a flat-painted wall might suppress. For full exterior walls, the color reads best on homes with warm, complementary trim and ample architectural detail to prevent the low LRV from reading as simply dark.