Tarragon lands on the wall as a deep, enveloping dark neutral that sits right at the intersection of teal, slate, and charcoal. The name might suggest a bright herb green, but ignore that entirely. What you actually get is a moody, complex color with an LRV of just 7.3, meaning it absorbs almost all the light it receives and reads as genuinely dramatic whether you use it on a single accent wall or wrap an entire room.
The color shifts noticeably depending on the light source. In natural daylight, especially cooler northern or eastern light, it leans teal and shows its blue-green depth most clearly. Under warm incandescent or amber lighting it softens, pulling out subtle green warmth that makes the room feel less cold and more grounded. In low light or dim evening conditions it can edge close to a dark navy-black, losing most of its teal character and reading simply as a very dark, sophisticated neutral.
On a full wall it reads rich and saturated without feeling flat. The muted quality keeps it from looking garish or overly trendy; it has the weight of a classic dark color while staying genuinely interesting. On cabinetry or exterior siding it photographs darker than it appears in person, which tends to work in its favor for a high-drama, high-contrast result.
Tarragon is one of those colors that genuinely behaves differently from room to room, and the undertone question is where reviewers and homeowners disagree most openly. Some people look at it and call it a cool inky navy. Others see a deep teal with a green base. Still others report brown, olive, or even a faint purple cast in specific lighting. Sherwin-Williams places it in both the warm neutral family and the Restorative Darks collection, which sounds contradictory for a color this visually cool, but it reflects how the color shifts rather than a mistake in the catalog.
The broadest honest summary is this: Tarragon's dominant character is cool and gray-leaning, and our editorial read confirms cool and gray as its primary undertones. The blue-teal layer sits just below the surface and comes forward in daylight. The green layer, which some reviewers identify as the base, appears most clearly under warm light and is what gives the color that slight organic warmth that keeps it from reading as purely industrial. The fact that warm incandescent light pulls a green-yellow softness out of it while cool daylight shifts it toward blue-teal is exactly why you will see such different opinions from people painting the same color in different homes.
The practical takeaway: do not rely on a small chip under store lighting. Sample it on your actual wall and look at it at multiple times of day and under your room's specific lighting. If your space is flooded with warm light, expect it to lean slightly warmer and greener. If you have cool daylight or rely on LED lighting, expect it to read more solidly teal-slate. Either way, the cool-gray character stays present throughout.
With an LRV of 7.3, Tarragon works best in situations where you want intentional drama and are not relying on the walls to bounce light around the room. It is a strong candidate for accent walls in living rooms and bedrooms, where one dark wall creates depth without the commitment of painting all four. In a moody bedroom, it reads like a cocoon, especially when paired with warm wood furniture and soft textiles that counterbalance the coolness. In a living room it adds sophistication and gives art and furnishings something substantial to work against.
Lighting orientation matters. South-facing rooms with generous natural light can handle it on all four walls without feeling oppressive; that light brings out the teal richness and keeps the room from going too cave-like. North-facing or low-light rooms are better served using it on one or two walls, on cabinetry, or as a ceiling color for a sky-like effect that reads surprising and deliberate rather than dark by accident. East-facing rooms get warm morning light that will bring out its greener notes, which can be appealing in a reading room or study.
Exterior use is one of Tarragon's strongest applications. It holds up well as a body color on craftsman, colonial, or modern farmhouse-style homes, and it reads as a deep sophisticated neutral from the curb rather than obviously green or blue, which gives it broad appeal. Front doors painted in Tarragon are a reported favorite among homeowners who want impact without committing to a color the neighbors will talk about for the wrong reasons. It is also a credible choice for cabinetry in kitchens and bathrooms, where the depth of color adds character and the muted teal tone pairs well with brass, unlacquered bronze, and matte black hardware.
An accent wall in Tarragon behind a sofa or fireplace anchors the room with real visual weight. Keep the remaining walls in a warm creamy white or warm greige to let the dark teal wall read as a deliberate focal point rather than an enclosed box. Warm brass light fixtures and wood-toned furniture soften the cool undertones without fighting them.
Tarragon wraps a bedroom in a genuinely restful, enveloping quality that warmer neutrals cannot match. Paint all four walls if you have a south-facing room with good natural light; use it on just the wall behind the headboard if the room is smaller or north-facing. Linen bedding, a warm wood bed frame, and matte black or aged brass hardware are reliable pairings.
As an exterior body color, Tarragon reads as a deep, sophisticated neutral from the street and holds its character across different weather and light conditions. It pairs well with bright white trim for a high-contrast, classic result, or with warm stone and brick detailing for a more grounded look. It is equally strong as a front door color on a lighter-painted home.
This is one of Tarragon's most straightforward applications. A single dark teal-slate wall creates immediate depth in a dining room, hallway, or home office without the complexity of a full repaint. Frame it with light trim and let the contrast do the heavy lifting.
Kitchen or bathroom cabinets in Tarragon photograph darker than the in-person color, which tends to look intentional and well-considered. Pair with unlacquered brass or matte black hardware and a light countertop in marble, quartz, or light wood to keep the kitchen from reading too heavy.
Tarragon coordinates cleanly with White Snow (SW 9541) for trim, ceilings, and millwork. White Snow gives you a true bright contrast that keeps the dark teal from feeling heavy and enclosed, and it reads crisp rather than cold against Tarragon's cool base. For a softer whole-room palette, Glacier Bay (SW 9626) and Valleyview (SW 9673) carry complementary undertones that extend the moody, collected feeling into adjacent spaces without the full contrast of a bright white.
Beyond the coordinating palette, Tarragon lives comfortably alongside natural wood tones, warm brass and bronze metals, rattan, linen, and terracotta. These warmer materials do the work of balancing the color's cool-leaning character. For bolder contrast schemes, rust, coral orange, and warm ochre yellow push back against the teal and create a scheme that feels deliberate and richly layered. Creamy warm whites in the trim and a natural wood floor or furniture in a honey or walnut tone are the most common real-world pairings that reviewers describe as working reliably well.
All comparisons are matched against Tarragon at LRV 7.3.
If your adjacent rooms already run cool with blue or blue-gray walls, Tarragon can push the whole home into a relentlessly cold palette that feels draining rather than sophisticated.
In rooms with cool-temperature LED lighting, a stark blue-white trim next to Tarragon can make the combination read clinical and hard rather than crisp and refined.
Tarragon's LRV of 7.3 means it reflects almost no light, and in a small room with little natural light and a north-facing orientation, four walls of it can feel genuinely oppressive rather than moody.
Tarragon (SW 9660) is a deep, dark, muted slate teal that sits at the intersection of blue, green, and gray. It is not a bright herby green despite its name. With an LRV of 7.3, it reads as a moody, sophisticated dark neutral that shifts between teal, dark blue-gray, and soft green depending on your lighting.
Tarragon's primary undertones are cool and gray, but it is genuinely chameleon-like. Reviewers have reported seeing navy, teal, green, olive, brown, and even a faint purple cast in different lighting conditions. Daylight pulls out its teal-blue character; warm incandescent light softens it and reveals a greener warmth. Sample it on your actual wall and check it at multiple times of day before committing.
Tarragon reads primarily cool. Its dominant undertones are cool and gray, and its teal-blue character comes forward most clearly under daylight. Sherwin-Williams places it in the warm neutral family and the Restorative Darks collection, which reflects the fact that warm light can pull a subtle green warmth out of it, but in most real-world conditions it reads as a cool, slate-leaning dark color.
Tarragon's LRV is 7.3. That is genuinely dark territory. It reflects very little light, so it reads enveloping and dramatic on full walls. Plan your lighting carefully, and consider limiting it to accent walls or cabinetry in rooms that lack strong natural light.
White Snow (SW 9541) works as a bright, crisp trim color that keeps Tarragon fresh without adding extra coolness. Glacier Bay (SW 9626) and Valleyview (SW 9673) extend the palette into adjacent spaces with complementary undertones. In terms of materials and finishes, warm brass, aged bronze, matte black hardware, natural wood tones, linen, and terracotta all balance Tarragon's cool depth well. For bolder schemes, rust, coral orange, and warm ochre yellow create strong and deliberate contrast.
Tarragon is Sherwin-Williams SW 9660. Its hex is #424E53 and its RGB values are 66 red, 78 green, 83 blue. LRV is 7.3. It is available in both interior and exterior formulas.
Yes to all three. Exterior use is one of Tarragon's strongest applications; it reads as a deep, sophisticated neutral on siding and holds its character across varying weather and daylight. As a front door color it delivers real curb impact without reading as obviously trendy. On cabinetry it photographs darker than the in-person color, which usually looks intentional and polished. Pair it with a light countertop and warm metal hardware for best results in kitchens and bathrooms.
