Our Review of Fawn Brindle by Sherwin Williams

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Fawn Brindle is a gorgeous neutral paint color we can’t get enough of. It landed on not one, but two of our annual “best of” lists, receiving high honors as one of the 14 best Sherwin Williams exterior paint colors and one of the 14 best exterior house colors of 2024.

Keep reading to learn why we love Fawn Brindle along with our recommended color pairings, building materials, and more.

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Virtual rendering of a modern ranch with Fawn Brindle by Sherwin Williams on the siding.

Sherwin Williams’ Fawn Brindle: The specs

The popularity of greige paint colors hasn’t slowed down yet. With an LRV of 36, Fawn Brindle is a darker-hued greige with slight green-gray undertones. (Curious about LRV? Learn more here, including why LRV is so important to keep in mind when choosing the perfect paint color for your home.)

It can appear modern and sleek or cozy and traditional depending on the setting and other design elements. It will look just as good on a townhouse as it does on a farmhouse.

In sunny environments, you may see the previously mentioned green undertones. In shaded surroundings, it could read a bit darker — but no less beautiful. The depth of Fawn Brindle is also something to be admired. With its green undertones, it complements wooded and lush environments beautifully.

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.
Modern farmhouse with brick accents and vertical siding.

Recommended applications for Fawn Brindle

Fawn Brindle isn’t versatile in every aspect, but it impresses us nonetheless. We’ve applied it as the primary shade on homes and as an accent color with excellent results. We’ve even used it to complement the oh-so-tricky natural red brick.

Our designers love to use Fawn Brindle with popular materials like metal and stone cladding. The depth of it allows textured materials like brick, stone, and stucco to really shine. A design isn’t complete without the smaller details. Copper or black gutters, modern light fixtures, and wood accents are the finishing touches for a dream home come true.

A traditional two-story stucco home with Sherwin Williams Brindle Fawn on the stucco, black windows, and an off-white shutters.

Fawn Brindle color pairings

Oftentimes, our designers pair Fawn Brindle with blacks, browns, and soft and creamy whites. Sherwin Williams’ Shoji White (seen on the home above) is one of our go-to colors. The contrast isn’t too stark — it’s just right for an elegant color palette that will be in style for years to come. Benjamin Moore’s Seapearl and Sherwin Williams’ Greek Villa are also great choices.

As for black and brown paint colors, Black Fox and Urbane Bronze (both by Sherwin Williams) are fabulous picks. Black Fox is the darker of the two and has stunning brown undertones that make it a superb match for greiges. Urbane Bronze has a more putty or clay-like look to it but has green undertones similar to Fawn Brindle. The contrast between both of these shades and Fawn Brindle is amazing and no doubt would look wonderful on many homes.

Brick rancher with lounge area, stone accents, and updated chimney.

Fawn Brindle can even be applied as a limewash to stone. In the design above, Aggregate by Sherwin Williams can be seen on the brick of the home and Sherwin Williams’ Tricorn Black on the eaves, gutters, and trim. Fawn Brindle is the perfect shade for the stone on the bump out, stairs, and chimney. To complete the look, a few wood details and black accents make this home a peaceful escape nestled in nature.

Spanish Mediterranean home with an arched entry, clay shingles, and a turquoise door.

Fawn Brindle as an accent color is an option for homes painted with soft whites. On the Mediterranean style home above, our designers applied it on the garage doors, eaves, gutters, and trim. The central hue on the stucco is Seapearl, and that fun pop of color on the doors is Galapagos by Benjamin Moore. An off-white as the primary color and Fawn Brindle as the accent is a subtle contrast that keeps the façade feeling light and bright. This type of palette would be a solid choice for beachside homes and lake houses.

Modern black light fixtures elevate the design, as does the high impact, low maintenance landscaping. Additionally, the brown clay shingles and wood on the railings are all the warm touches needed for an inviting feel.

Virtual rendering of a narwal brick two story colonial with Fawn Brindle by Sherwin Williams on the trim.

Pros and cons of Fawn Brindle by Sherwin Williams

PROS:

  • Looks great on most home styles
  • Works well as a central or accent color
  • Can be used with natural brick

CONS:

  • Color pairing options are somewhat limited
  • It has a slight green undertone

Fawn Brindle alternatives

Fawn Brindle by Sherwin Williams is just one of many popular greiges available. Below are two more similar colors to inspire you.

Quaint cottage with copper gutters and light fixtures, bluestone walkway, and mahogany double doors.

Benjamin Moore’s Pale Oak vs. Fawn Brindle

Pale Oak is a lighter choice in the greige family. Its LRV is 69.89, and when matched with the right accent colors, it can be so charming! The home above shows Pale Oak with Rockport Gray on the shutters and Cloud White (both by Benjamin Moore) on the trim and portico. We love this color palette! Finally, copper lights and gutters and double-hung mahogany doors add even more charm to this adorable cottage.

Traditional two-story home with a wood front door, black garage doors, and white windows.

Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter vs. Fawn Brindle

If there is one paint color that has withstood the changing trends in the design world, it’s Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore. Popular outside and inside the home, this mid-toned greige has proven to be reliable in many of our exterior home designs. Our designers have turned to Revere Pewter for years now due to its flexibility.

Revere Pewter sits between Pale Oak and Fawn Brindle on the LRV scale at 55. All three complement each perfectly and could easily be applied to the exterior of the same home with phenomenal results. Lighting conditions heavily determine the look of Revere Pewter. A sunny summer morning will highlight its warm characteristics, but a cloudy day will lean into its cooler side. We would consider this a chameleon color for this clear shift in appearance.

Colonials and traditional style homes look great painted with Revere Pewter, but we’ve also applied it to designs for brick ranchers and even farmhouses. Furthermore, it pairs well with similar accent colors as Fawn Brindle. Urban Bronze and Rockport Gray are designer favorites.

Single story rancher with a wood stained pergola over the entry, black windows, and simple landscaping.

The bottom line on Fawn Brindle

Trendy greige exterior paint colors are still having their moment, and Fawn Brindle is a standout shade in this color family. This neutral hue is a great choice for many styles of homes, from cottages to contemporary dwellings. It’s versatile too, pairing well with natural red brick and working well as the central or accent color on a home. Hopefully now you see why we’re “fawning” over Fawn Brindle by Sherwin Williams.

If you’re interested in seeing Fawn Brindle on your own home’s exterior, we’ve got you covered. With a short and simple questionnaire, we’ll be able to create a fully customized virtual rendering of your home and a clickable resource list that will help you execute the upgrade. Get started here.

Author

Originally from Tennessee, Ami currently lives in South Carolina, which has been home since leaving the military in 2016. Interior and exterior design has always intrigued Ami, especially the styles and characteristics seen in other countries as an avid traveler and photographer. She lives for the renewal of older or historic homes that maintain their character, and regularly creates her own mood boards and virtual designs for inspiration or to help others with their spaces. Having always had a passion for design and following their work for years prior, Ami was excited to be brought onto brick&batten’s team of writers. Her writing endeavors actually started in an academic/scientific setting, then in a regulatory aspect. Writing about paint colors, emerging or current trends in exterior design, and so much more revolving around something she’s always enjoyed was a fun and welcomed change!