# Butterscotch in a dark and moody room

Butterscotch, from the Stanton Hawthorne line, is a mid dark vinyl plank with a golden undertone (measured from its own picture: LRV 13). Here it is with Colonnade Gray walls, Greek Villa trim and Upward on the cabinets, chosen by the numbers.

A vision board by Powell Flooring, 1811 Union Valley Rd, West Milford, NJ 07480, 973-728-9717. AI assisted: the rooms are AI generated, simulated photos; the floor, the paint colors and every number are real.
Page: https://www.powellflooring.com/vision-boards/butterscotch-dark-moody

## The floor
- Butterscotch, Stanton Hawthorne: Waterproof vinyl plank · WPC · 9 in (SKU 66453)
- Price: $4.49 per sq ft · $119.30 a carton. Material only. Delivery and installation extra.
- Every color and detail: https://www.powellflooring.com/floors/stanton/hawthorne/butterscotch

## Measured from its own picture
- LRV (light reflectance value, 0 black to 100 white): 13
- CIELAB (D65): L* 42.8, a* 10.8, b* 37, chroma 38.6, hue 73.8 degrees
- Undertone: a golden undertone, warm without leaning red
- The grain and color of Butterscotch move from board to board (a spread of 3.4 in L*), which helps hide everyday wear.

## Paint
- Walls: Colonnade Gray (Sherwin-Williams SW 7641, LRV 53, +40 from the floor). A soft neutral with a touch of warmth (hue 87°), so Butterscotch stays golden without turning yellow. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/neutral-paint-colors/sw7641-colonnade-gray/
- Or walls: Thunder (Benjamin Moore AF-685, LRV 47.6, +34.6 from the floor). A soft neutral with a touch of warmth (hue 92°), so Butterscotch stays golden without turning yellow. Source: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/af-685/thunder
- Trim and ceilings: Greek Villa (Sherwin-Williams SW 7551, LRV 84.2). 71 points over Butterscotch in LRV and warm enough (chroma 5.3) to read white, not blue, beside its golden undertone. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/white-paint-colors/sw7551-greek-villa/
- Cabinets: Upward (Sherwin-Williams SW 6239, LRV 57.4). A light color with some life in it, so cabinets float off Butterscotch (a 44 point step in LRV). Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/blue-paint-colors/sw6239-upward/
- Cabinets in Upward or Greek Villa: a dark floor needs light cabinets to float above it.

## Wood, rugs and metals
- Wood a step darker: a charcoal wood, like our Royal Mahogany stain sample. About 17 points darker than Butterscotch in L* (26 against 43), far enough to read as a choice.
- Wood a step lighter: a light natural wood, like our Silvered Gray stain sample. About 18 points lighter than Butterscotch in L* (61 against 43).
- Rug or fabric, tone on tone: putty (#c2a98f). 17 in chroma, half the warmth of Butterscotch (39), and 28 points lighter in L*.
- Rug or fabric, across the wheel: mist blue (#a4b5c4). Hue 254°, straight across the color wheel from the 74° of Butterscotch, softened to balance it.
- Rug or fabric, grounding: espresso (#3c2e1e). A deep note at L* 20, 23 points from the 43 of Butterscotch, so a rug keeps its edge.
- Metal: aged brass. A warm metal that agrees with the golden undertone of Butterscotch (hue 74°).
- Metal: unlacquered brass. Left unsealed, it darkens with handling to a softer warm tone beside Colonnade Gray walls.
- Metal: matte black. Black works with every undertone; beside Butterscotch at LRV 13 it gives the room its outline.

## Room by room
- Living room: Colonnade Gray walls and Greek Villa trim over Butterscotch, velvet in putty with a mist blue pillow, aged brass lamps on low.
- Kitchen: Cabinets in Upward so they float off Butterscotch, Greek Villa walls and trim, unlacquered brass pulls.
- Bedroom: Thunder walls, putty bedding, nightstands in a light natural wood, matte black on the lamps.
- Entry: An espresso runner on Butterscotch, Upward on the door, an unlacquered brass mirror.

## What to avoid
- Walls at the lightness of Butterscotch: Rosemary (Sherwin-Williams SW 6187, LRV 13.6) sits within a point of its LRV of 13, so wall and floor would blur into one.
- Walls that lean yellow: yellow on yellow flattens the golden undertone of Butterscotch (hue 74°).

## The room it suits
- At LRV 13, Butterscotch is mid dark: it is at its best in a big room with good light and warm lamps, and it shows dust, pet hair and fine scratches more than a mid tone.
- At 9 inches a board, Butterscotch lays about 16 boards across a 12 foot room, so the room reads open with few seams.
- Butterscotch is waterproof, so it belongs in kitchens, baths, mudrooms and basements as well as living spaces.
- Core: WPC, a wood plastic composite core (a little softer and quieter underfoot)
- Water: Waterproof (the maker's word) (wet mopping is fine; a flood is not)

## Sources
- Paint names, codes, hex and LRV as Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore publish them (each color links to its page).
- BS 8300-2:2018 asks for a difference of at least 30 LRV points between adjacent surfaces, such as a floor and a wall, so the surfaces read apart.
- The floor measured from its own picture in CIELAB (D65); the wood tones from our own photographs of 37 stains on oak.