Vision board · Traditional

Saddle in a traditional room

Saddle, from the Robbins Natural Forest 3-1/4" Red Oak line, is a dark red oak hardwood with a red undertone (LRV 7, measured from its own picture). Here it is with Coventry Gray walls, Swiss Coffee trim, and Palladian Blue on the cabinets, chosen by the numbers.

AI assisted The rooms are AI generated, simulated photos. The floor, the paint colors and every number are real.

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Saddle hardwood flooring in the kitchen of the raised ranch under the oaks. CutPile Photoreal Rendering, an AI generated, simulated photo. — AI generated, simulated photo. Kitchen in daylight, The raised ranch under the oaks.

Saddle hardwood flooring in the family room of the colonial on the cul-de-sac. CutPile Photoreal Rendering, an AI generated, simulated photo. — AI generated, simulated photo. Family room in daylight, The colonial on the cul-de-sac.

Saddle hardwood flooring in the great room of the cabin in the hemlocks. CutPile Photoreal Rendering, an AI generated, simulated photo. — AI generated, simulated photo. Great room in daylight, The cabin in the hemlocks.

12 in

WallsCoventry GrayBM HC-169 · LRV 48

TrimSwiss CoffeeBM OC-45 · LRV 82

CabinetsPalladian BlueBM HC-144 · LRV 60

WoodA warm gray brown woodLike our Warm Gray sample

The floor, measured

Read from its own picture, not from a name.

LRV: 7
Lightness L*: 31
Undertone: Red
Hue: 50°

A red undertone, the family of cherry and red oak. LRV is light reflectance value, the share of light a surface sends back, the same scale paint makers print on every chip: 0 is black, 100 is white.

The grain and color of Saddle move from board to board (a spread of 3.8 in L*), which helps hide everyday wear.

The shaded band is within 30 points of the floor. A wall inside it blurs into the floor; BS 8300 asks for at least 30 points between surfaces that meet.

Walls, trim and cabinets

Named colors with the maker's code and LRV, each linked to its page.

Walls

Coventry Gray Benjamin Moore HC-169 · LRV 48.2 · +41 from the floor

Its undertone leans green (hue 129°), which quiets the red in Saddle (hue 50°) instead of echoing it.

See it at Benjamin Moore

Or walls

Sea Salt Sherwin-Williams SW 6204 · LRV 63.2 · +56 from the floor

Its undertone leans green (hue 133°), which quiets the red in Saddle (hue 50°) instead of echoing it.

See it at Sherwin-Williams

Trim and ceilings

Swiss Coffee Benjamin Moore OC-45 · LRV 81.9 · +75 from the floor

75 points over Saddle in LRV and warm enough (chroma 5.7) to read white, not blue, beside its red undertone.

See it at Benjamin Moore

Cabinets

Palladian Blue Benjamin Moore HC-144 · LRV 60.4 · +54 from the floor

A light color with some life in it, so cabinets float off Saddle (a 54 point step in LRV).

See it at Benjamin Moore

Cabinets in Palladian Blue or Swiss Coffee: a dark floor needs light cabinets to float above it.

The palette, by the numbers
Role	Color	Maker and code	LRV	From the floor
Floor	Saddle	Robbins Natural Forest 3-1/4" Red Oak	7
Walls	Coventry Gray	Benjamin Moore HC-169	48.2	+41
Or walls	Sea Salt	Sherwin-Williams SW 6204	63.2	+56
Trim and ceilings	Swiss Coffee	Benjamin Moore OC-45	81.9	+75
Cabinets	Palladian Blue	Benjamin Moore HC-144	60.4	+54

Wood, rugs and metals

Contrast, not a match.

Wood furniture

A step lighter: a warm gray brown woodAbout 17 points lighter than Saddle in L* (48 against 31). Like our Warm Gray stain sample.

Rugs and fabric

Tone on tone: mushroom12 in chroma, half the warmth of Saddle (26), and 28 points lighter in L*.

Across the wheel: eucalyptusHue 230°, straight across the color wheel from the 50° of Saddle, softened to balance it.

Grounding: blushA light note at L* 76, 45 points from the 31 of Saddle, so a rug keeps its edge.

Metals

Unlacquered brassA warm metal that agrees with the red undertone of Saddle (hue 50°).

Aged brassA second warm metal in a worn finish, so the brass beside Coventry Gray walls never looks new and loud.

Matte blackBlack works with every undertone; beside Saddle at LRV 7 it gives the room its outline.

Room by room

The palette put to work around Saddle.

Living roomCoventry Gray walls, Swiss Coffee trim and crown, a patterned rug in eucalyptus and blush on Saddle, furniture in a warm gray brown wood, unlacquered brass lamps.
KitchenCabinets in Palladian Blue so they float off Saddle, Swiss Coffee walls and trim, aged brass pulls.
Dining roomSea Salt walls, a table in a warm gray brown wood, chairs in mushroom, an unlacquered brass chandelier.
BedroomCoventry Gray walls, mushroom bedding, a eucalyptus throw, nightstands in a warm gray brown wood.

What to avoid

The near misses, by the numbers.

Walls at the lightness of Saddle: Black Fox (Sherwin-Williams SW 7020, LRV 6.7) sits within a point of its LRV of 7, so wall and floor would blur into one.
Wood that almost matches Saddle: a tone like our Sedona Red 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 red undertone of Saddle (hue 50°).

Questions

About Saddle and color, answered from the numbers above.

What wall color goes with Saddle flooring?

Coventry Gray (Benjamin Moore HC-169, LRV 48.2): its undertone leans green (hue 129°), which quiets the red in Saddle (hue 50°) instead of echoing it. It sits 41 LRV points from the floor (LRV 7), more than the 30 points that keep a wall and a floor reading apart. Or Sea Salt (Sherwin-Williams SW 6204, LRV 63.2).

What trim and ceiling color goes with Saddle?

Swiss Coffee (Benjamin Moore OC-45, LRV 81.9): 75 points over Saddle in LRV and warm enough (chroma 5.7) to read white, not blue, beside its red undertone.

What cabinet color goes with Saddle?

Palladian Blue (Benjamin Moore HC-144, LRV 60.4): a light color with some life in it, so cabinets float off Saddle (a 54 point step in LRV). Cabinets in Palladian Blue or Swiss Coffee: a dark floor needs light cabinets to float above it.

What wood furniture goes with Saddle?

Contrast, not a match: a step lighter: a warm gray brown wood (like our Warm Gray stain sample). A wood like our Sedona Red sample is only 4.1 apart (CIEDE2000) and reads as a near miss.

How do I put a room together around Saddle?

Living room: Coventry Gray walls, Swiss Coffee trim and crown, a patterned rug in eucalyptus and blush on Saddle, furniture in a warm gray brown wood, unlacquered brass lamps. Kitchen: Cabinets in Palladian Blue so they float off Saddle, Swiss Coffee walls and trim, aged brass pulls.

Is Saddle a light or a dark floor?

Dark: LRV 7 and L* 31, measured from its own picture, with a red undertone. At LRV 7, Saddle is 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.

What colors should I avoid with Saddle?

Walls at the lightness of Saddle: Black Fox (Sherwin-Williams SW 7020, LRV 6.7) sits within a point of its LRV of 7, so wall and floor would blur into one. Wood that almost matches Saddle: a tone like our Sedona Red sample, 4.1 apart (CIEDE2000), reads as a near miss. Go clearly darker or lighter.

The room it suits

Light, size and wear, from the floor's own record.

At LRV 7, Saddle is 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 3.25 inches a board, Saddle lays about 45 boards across a 12 foot room, the busy, tailored look of a classic strip floor.

Solid hardwood: living spaces and bedrooms above grade, kept out of baths and basements.

HardnessNorthern red oak: Janka 1,290 lbfThe force to press a steel ball halfway into the wood; a higher number dents less under heels and chair legs. How hard is that? The Janka scale
ConstructionSolid hardwoodOne piece of wood top to bottom, sanded and refinished for decades.
FinishUrethane with AIOx

From the floor's own record

What only this floor's data can say.

Saddle is lighter than 18 percent of the 1,744 hardwood floors we carry, measured the same way, and warmer than 70 percent of them.

A step lighter in the same line: Gunstock (Value)LRV 9, measured the same way, against 7 for Saddle.

A step darker in the same line: Harvest GroveLRV 4, measured the same way, against 7 for Saddle.

The same look in waterproof vinyl or laminate: Rich Mahogany, Shaw Floors Traditions, only 4.2 apart in color (CIEDE2000).

To get this color on an oak floor you already have, the nearest of our stains is Sedona Red (4.1 apart, CIEDE2000, from our own photographs on red oak).

Saddle, the specifications
Width	3.25 in
Thickness	3/4"
Finish	Urethane with AIOx
Installation	Nail, staple with glue assist
Species	Red oak
Construction	Solid Hardwood
Carton	22 sq ft

The floor

Every color, price and detail on its own page.

Saddle

Natural Forest 3-1/4" Red Oak · LM14K-341S

Solid hardwood · Red oak · 3.25 in

$6.49 per sq ft · $142.78 a carton

Material only. Delivery and installation extra.

Saddle: price, specs and samples

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Powell Flooring, 1811 Union Valley Rd, West Milford, NJ 07480

Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm · Open later by request

How we chose

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.

Janka hardness from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory Wood Handbook (2021), Table 5-3b, at 12 percent moisture.

A picture's lightness depends a little on how it was lit, so the floor's LRV is read from the evenly lit field the visualizer lays and rounded. See the real floor before you choose paint: visit the showroom, or ask for a free measure and estimate.