# Durban Pear in a traditional room

Durban Pear, from the COREtec Originals Classics line, is a mid dark vinyl plank with an amber undertone (measured from its own picture: LRV 18). Here it is with Edgecomb Gray walls, Swiss Coffee trim and Palladian Blue 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/durban-pear-traditional

## The floor
- Durban Pear, COREtec Originals Classics: Waterproof vinyl plank · WPC · 5 in (SKU VV023-00511)
- Price: $6.39 per sq ft · $169.14 a carton. Material only. Delivery and installation extra.
- Every color and detail: https://www.powellflooring.com/floors/coretec/coretec-originals-classics-vv023/durban-pear

## Measured from its own picture
- LRV (light reflectance value, 0 black to 100 white): 18
- CIELAB (D65): L* 49.8, a* 7.8, b* 16.2, chroma 18, hue 64.3 degrees
- Undertone: an amber undertone, warm and a little orange
- The grain and color of Durban Pear move from board to board (a spread of 3.1 in L*), which helps hide everyday wear.

## Paint
- Walls: Edgecomb Gray (Benjamin Moore HC-173, LRV 63.1, +44.9 from the floor). Its undertone leans green (hue 94°), which quiets the orange in Durban Pear (hue 64°) instead of echoing it. Source: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/hc-173/edgecomb-gray
- Or walls: Sea Salt (Sherwin-Williams SW 6204, LRV 63.2, +45 from the floor). Its undertone leans green (hue 133°), which quiets the orange in Durban Pear (hue 64°) instead of echoing it. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/green-paint-colors/sw6204-sea-salt/
- Trim and ceilings: Swiss Coffee (Benjamin Moore OC-45, LRV 81.9). 64 points over Durban Pear in LRV and warm enough (chroma 5.7) to read white, not blue, beside its amber undertone. Source: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/oc-45/swiss-coffee
- Cabinets: Palladian Blue (Benjamin Moore HC-144, LRV 60.4). A light color with some life in it, so cabinets float off Durban Pear (a 42 point step in LRV). Source: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/hc-144/palladian-blue
- Cabinets in Palladian Blue or Swiss Coffee: a dark floor needs light cabinets to float above it.

## Wood, rugs and metals
- Wood a step darker: a charcoal wood, like our Ebony stain sample. About 21 points darker than Durban Pear in L* (29 against 50), far enough to read as a choice.
- Wood a step lighter: a pale, bleached wood, like our Natural stain sample. About 17 points lighter than Durban Pear in L* (67 against 50).
- Rug or fabric, tone on tone: putty (#cdbeb3). 8 in chroma, half the warmth of Durban Pear (18), and 28 points lighter in L*.
- Rug or fabric, across the wheel: mist blue (#afc4d1). Hue 244°, straight across the color wheel from the 64° of Durban Pear, softened to balance it.
- Rug or fabric, grounding: espresso (#382f28). A deep note at L* 20, 30 points from the 50 of Durban Pear, so a rug keeps its edge.
- Metal: unlacquered brass. A warm metal that agrees with the amber undertone of Durban Pear (hue 64°).
- Metal: aged brass. A second warm metal in a worn finish, so the brass beside Edgecomb Gray walls never looks new and loud.
- Metal: matte black. Black works with every undertone; beside Durban Pear at LRV 18 it gives the room its outline.

## Room by room
- Living room: Edgecomb Gray walls, Swiss Coffee trim and crown, a patterned rug in mist blue and espresso on Durban Pear, furniture in a charcoal wood, unlacquered brass lamps.
- Kitchen: Cabinets in Palladian Blue so they float off Durban Pear, Swiss Coffee walls and trim, aged brass pulls.
- Dining room: Sea Salt walls, a table in a charcoal wood, chairs in putty, an unlacquered brass chandelier.
- Bedroom: Edgecomb Gray walls, putty bedding, a mist blue throw, nightstands in a pale, bleached wood.

## What to avoid
- Walls at the lightness of Durban Pear: Gauntlet Gray (Sherwin-Williams SW 7019, LRV 17.4) sits within a point of its LRV of 18, so wall and floor would blur into one.
- Wood that almost matches Durban Pear: a tone like our Warm Gray sample, 4.1 apart (CIEDE2000), reads as a near miss. Go clearly darker or lighter.
- Pink or peach beige walls: they pull more orange out of the amber undertone of Durban Pear (hue 64°).

## The room it suits
- At LRV 18, Durban Pear 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 5 inches a board, Durban Pear lays about 29 boards across a 12 foot room.
- Durban Pear is waterproof, so it belongs in kitchens, baths, mudrooms and basements as well as living spaces.
- Wear layer: 20 mil (about 0.51 mm of clear protection over the printed wood, the part that takes the traffic)
- Core: WPC, a wood plastic composite core (a little softer and quieter underfoot)
- Finish: UV Acrylic
- 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.