PaintingMania

Violet-leaning

20 colours classified as violet-leaning. The classification comes from the OKLCh hue angle of the manufacturer's published hex, not from an impression: we only claim an undertone when chroma is high enough for it to be real.

Example: Lady's Slipper SW 7139, at chroma 0.0123 and hue angle 296.3°.

Lady's Slipper SW 7139 LRV 76.88 Violet-leaning Elation SW 6827 LRV 72.54 Violet-leaning Wishful Blue SW 6813 LRV 71.80 Violet-leaning Inspired Lilac SW 6820 LRV 70.94 Violet-leaning Potentially Purple SW 6821 LRV 61.62 Violet-leaning Hyacinth Tint SW 6968 LRV 59.22 Violet-leaning Grape Mist SW 6548 LRV 54.24 Violet-leaning Vesper Violet SW 6542 LRV 35.56 Violet-leaning Ash Violet SW 6549 LRV 33.94 Violet-leaning Exclusive Plum SW 6263 LRV 17.07 Violet-leaning Midnight SW 6264 LRV 10.59 Violet-leaning Impulsive Purple SW 6832 LRV 8.68 Violet-leaning Fully Purple SW 6983 LRV 8.12 Violet-leaning Izmir Purple SW 6825 LRV 6.47 Violet-leaning Dignified SW 6538 LRV 6.38 Violet-leaning Quixotic Plum SW 6265 LRV 6.21 Violet-leaning Majestic Purple SW 6545 LRV 4.79 Violet-leaning Dewberry SW 6552 LRV 4.36 Violet-leaning Concord Grape SW 6559 LRV 4.33 Violet-leaning Black Swan SW 6279 LRV 4.01 Violet-leaning

What an undertone actually is

An undertone is the faint hue bias sitting inside a near-neutral colour. It is not an impression — it is a measurable angle. We classify every colour by its OKLCh hue angle, a perceptually uniform space where equal numeric steps look like equal visual steps, which HSL does not manage at exactly the low chroma where neutrals live.

We only claim an undertone when chroma is high enough for it to be real. Below 0.012 the honest answer is "effectively neutral", and that is what we say. Between 0.012 and 0.035 the undertone is present but subtle. Above that it is clear.

Why undertone decides the purchase

Two colours at the same LRV can look completely different on the same wall if their undertones pull opposite ways. It is the single most common reason someone paints a whole room and finds their grey "reads purple": the undertone was there all along, but the chip did not say so and the shop's lighting hid it.

Undertone shows itself mostly by comparison and in difficult light. A north-facing room, with indirect cool light all day, exposes it hardest. That is why every colour page on this site shows its nearest neighbours by LRV — undertone becomes visible by comparison, not by description.

How to use this list

Colours are ordered light to dark. Choose first on the LRV the room needs, then use undertone to decide between the candidates that remain. And always order a physical sample: no screen reproduces this faithfully.