# Flaxen in a Japandi room

Flaxen, from the Fifth and Main Symbiotic 20 line, is a mid tone vinyl plank with a warm greige undertone (LRV 28, measured from its own picture). Here it is with Modern Gray walls, Greek Villa trim, and Pewter Green as the deep note, 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/flaxen-japandi

## The floor
- Flaxen, Fifth and Main Symbiotic 20: Vinyl plank · 6 in (SKU 5M303-00216)
- Price: $3.75 per sq ft · $156.45 a carton. Material only. Delivery and installation extra.
- Every color and detail: https://www.powellflooring.com/floors/fifthandmain/symbiotic-20/flaxen

## Measured from its own picture
- LRV (light reflectance value, 0 black to 100 white): 28
- CIELAB (D65): L* 60, a* 4.5, b* 10.3, chroma 11.3, hue 66.4 degrees
- Undertone: a warm greige: gray with a little brown in it
- Flaxen is calm and even from board to board (a spread of 1.2 in L*), so it reads as one quiet plane.

## Paint
- Walls: Modern Gray (Sherwin-Williams SW 7632, LRV 62.5, +34.4 from the floor). A warm white or greige in the same soft family as Flaxen (hue 82° against its 66°). Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/neutral-paint-colors/sw7632-modern-gray/
- Or walls: Edgecomb Gray (Benjamin Moore HC-173, LRV 63.1, +35 from the floor). A warm white or greige in the same soft family as Flaxen (hue 94° against its 66°). Source: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/hc-173/edgecomb-gray
- Trim and ceilings: Greek Villa (Sherwin-Williams SW 7551, LRV 84.2). 56 points over Flaxen in LRV and warm enough (chroma 5.3) to read white, not blue, beside its greige undertone. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/white-paint-colors/sw7551-greek-villa/
- Deep note: Pewter Green (Sherwin-Williams SW 6208, LRV 11.8). Deep and quiet, 16 points darker than Flaxen in LRV, a frame for a greige floor. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/green-paint-colors/sw6208-pewter-green/
- Lower cabinets or an island in Pewter Green, uppers and trim in Greek Villa. The floor at LRV 28 sits between the two (12 and 84).

## Wood, rugs and metals
- Wood a step darker: a mid brown wood, like our Aged Barrel stain sample. About 18 points darker than Flaxen in L* (42 against 60), far enough to read as a choice.
- Wood a step lighter: a pale, bleached wood, like our Country White stain sample. About 12 points lighter than Flaxen in L* (72 against 60).
- Rug or fabric, tone on tone: ivory (#e5dbd4). 5 in chroma, half the warmth of Flaxen (11), and 28 points lighter in L*.
- Rug or fabric, across the wheel: graphite (#455763). Hue 246°, straight across the color wheel from the 66° of Flaxen, softened to balance it.
- Rug or fabric, grounding: charcoal (#4c4641). A deep note at L* 30, 30 points from the 60 of Flaxen, so a rug keeps its edge.
- Metal: matte black. Black works with every undertone; beside Flaxen at LRV 28 it gives the room its outline.
- Metal: champagne bronze. A warm metal that agrees with the greige undertone of Flaxen (hue 66°).
- Metal: brushed nickel. A soft satin nickel, quieter than chrome, for the greige of Flaxen.

## Room by room
- Living room: Modern Gray walls and Greek Villa trim, a low table in a pale, bleached wood on Flaxen, an ivory rug, one graphite cushion.
- Kitchen: Greek Villa cabinets, Pewter Green on the island or one wall, matte black pulls, Flaxen underfoot.
- Bedroom: Edgecomb Gray walls, a low bed in a mid brown wood, ivory linen, champagne bronze in small doses.
- Entry: A bench in a pale, bleached wood, a charcoal mat on Flaxen, brushed nickel hooks.

## What to avoid
- Walls at the lightness of Flaxen: Evergreen Fog (Sherwin-Williams SW 9130, LRV 30.4) sits 2 points from its LRV of 28, so wall and floor would blur into one.
- Wood that almost matches Flaxen: a tone like our Silvered Gray sample, 5.1 apart (CIEDE2000), reads as a near miss. Go clearly darker or lighter.
- Stark blue whites everywhere: a greige floor like Flaxen turns muddy beside them. Keep the whites a little warm.

## The room it suits
- At LRV 28, Flaxen is a mid tone: it holds its color in a sunny room and hides everyday dust and pet hair better than a very dark or very light floor.
- At 6 inches a board, Flaxen lays about 24 boards across a 12 foot room.
- Living spaces and bedrooms; ask us about wet rooms.
- Wear layer: 20 mil (about 0.51 mm of clear protection over the printed wood, the part that takes the traffic)
- Finish: ExoGuard+®

## 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.