# Shenandoah in a coastal room

Shenandoah, from the Robbins Timber Legends 7-1/2" Ash line, is a light ash hardwood with a golden undertone (measured from its own picture: LRV 43). Here it is with Simply White walls, Alabaster trim, and Van Deusen Blue 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/shenandoah-coastal

## The floor
- Shenandoah, Robbins Timber Legends 7-1/2" Ash: Engineered hardwood · Ash · 7.5 in (SKU HPEA671W)
- Price: $7.99 per sq ft · $223.72 a carton. Material only. Delivery and installation extra.
- Every color and detail: https://www.powellflooring.com/floors/robbins/timber-legends-7-1-2-ash/shenandoah

## Measured from its own picture
- LRV (light reflectance value, 0 black to 100 white): 43
- CIELAB (D65): L* 71.7, a* 2.1, b* 19.9, chroma 20, hue 84 degrees
- Undertone: a golden undertone, warm without leaning red
- The grain and color of Shenandoah move from board to board (a spread of 3.1 in L*), which helps hide everyday wear.

## Paint
- Walls: Simply White (Benjamin Moore OC-117, LRV 89.5, +46.3 from the floor). A soft neutral with a touch of warmth (hue 110°), so Shenandoah stays golden without turning yellow. Source: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/oc-117/simply-white
- Or walls: Dover White (Sherwin-Williams SW 6385, LRV 82.5, +39.3 from the floor). A soft neutral with a touch of warmth (hue 93°), so Shenandoah stays golden without turning yellow. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/white-paint-colors/sw6385-dover-white/
- Trim and ceilings: Alabaster (Sherwin-Williams SW 7008, LRV 82.2). 39 points over Shenandoah 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/sw7008-alabaster/
- Deep note: Van Deusen Blue (Benjamin Moore HC-156, LRV 12). Deep and cool, about 177° around the color wheel from Shenandoah and 31 points darker in LRV, so each makes the other look richer. Source: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/hc-156/van-deusen-blue
- Lower cabinets or an island in Van Deusen Blue, uppers and trim in Alabaster. The floor at LRV 43 sits between the two (12 and 82).

## Wood, rugs and metals
- Wood a step darker: a honey tone, like our Golden Oak stain sample. About 20 points darker than Shenandoah in L* (51 against 72), far enough to read as a choice.
- Wood a step lighter: black or painted pieces. Shenandoah is lighter than any wood stain we photographed (L* 72), so contrast comes from black, painted or upholstered pieces.
- Rug or fabric, tone on tone: mocha (#60584a). 9 in chroma, half the warmth of Shenandoah (20), and 34 points darker in L*.
- Rug or fabric, across the wheel: storm blue (#667282). Hue 264°, straight across the color wheel from the 84° of Shenandoah, softened to balance it.
- Rug or fabric, grounding: graphite (#686257). A deep note at L* 42, 30 points from the 72 of Shenandoah, so a rug keeps its edge.
- Metal: polished nickel. A bright nickel with a touch of warmth, for the golden undertone of Shenandoah (chroma 20.0).
- Metal: aged brass. A warm metal that agrees with the golden undertone of Shenandoah (hue 84°).
- Metal: unlacquered brass. A warm metal that agrees with the golden undertone of Shenandoah (hue 84°).

## What to avoid
- Walls at the lightness of Shenandoah: Clary Sage (Sherwin-Williams SW 6178, LRV 41) sits 2 points from its LRV of 43, so wall and floor would blur into one.
- Wood that almost matches Shenandoah: a tone like our Country White sample, 5.2 apart (CIEDE2000), reads as a near miss. Go clearly darker or lighter.
- Creamy yellow walls: yellow on yellow flattens the golden undertone of Shenandoah (hue 84°).

## The room it suits
- At LRV 43, Shenandoah is light: it bounces light back into the room, suits north facing rooms, basements and small rooms, and shows dark grit more than lint.
- At 7.5 inches a board, Shenandoah lays about 20 boards across a 12 foot room, so the room reads open with few seams.
- Engineered hardwood: living spaces and bedrooms on every level, kept out of full baths.
- Hardness: White ash: Janka 1,320 lbf (the force to press a steel ball halfway into the wood; a higher number dents less under heels and chair legs)
- Construction: Engineered hardwood (a real wood face over a stable core, so it moves less with the seasons)
- Finish: Urethane

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