Last month we kicked off our color of the month with a warm Benjamin Moore plum. This month we’re staying in the warmth but changing lanes, because October has a color of its own. Think of the light this time of year: golden, low, a little amber. This month’s pick lives right in that glow.
This month’s pick: Sherwin-Williams Cavern Clay SW 7701
Cavern Clay is a warm, sun-baked terracotta. Earthy, a little dusty, with the comfortable feel of adobe and clay. Sherwin-Williams named it their Color of the Year a few years back, and it has only gotten more at home since, because it does something a lot of colors can’t. It feels grounded and modern at the same time.
It’s not a bright orange and it’s not a muddy brown. It sits in that warm, human middle, the color of a terracotta pot or a clay tile floor in the late afternoon. In a room, it reads as cozy and confident rather than loud.
Where it shines
Cavern Clay is made for the rooms where you gather. A dining room that comes alive by candlelight. A living room you want to feel warm the second you walk in from a gray day. A powder room, where a little boldness is welcome and low-commitment. It also makes a striking front entry or accent wall if a whole room feels like a big step.
And a word on light, because it always matters. Our Pacific Northwest daylight runs cool, which actually does Cavern Clay a favor. It keeps the terracotta from ever feeling too hot or too orange, and lets the earthiness come through. In warm evening light and under lamplight, the color deepens and glows. As always, we recommend seeing a real sample on your own wall before you commit, because your home’s light gets the final say.
How to pair it
Cavern Clay plays beautifully with natural, warm materials:
- Trim and ceilings: a soft warm white like Sherwin-Williams Alabaster SW 7008 keeps it fresh and lets the color breathe. A cool, blue-white would fight it.
- Wood tones: it loves oak, walnut, and warm-stained cedar. If you’ve got wood floors or beams, this color makes them look intentional.
- Contrast: a matte black on hardware, window frames, or a light fixture gives it a crisp, modern edge.
- Companion colors: creamy whites, warm greiges, and muted sage greens all sit easily beside it.
- Metals: brass and aged bronze bring out the glow. Black iron works for a more grounded look.
Why now
October is the middle of our slower season, which is exactly why it’s the smart time to think about interior color. When you book interior work now, you get faster scheduling, more of the crew’s attention, and a warm, finished home well before the holidays fill your calendar. A color like Cavern Clay, on the walls before the guests arrive, sets the whole tone of the season.
See it in your space
The surest way to know a color is right is to stop picturing it and look at it on your own wall, in your own light, through a full day. If Cavern Clay has your attention, we’re glad to paint a real sample so you can watch it move from morning to evening. And if a fall or winter interior project is on your mind, now is a good time to start the conversation while the calendar has room.
We paint homes throughout Mill Creek, Bothell, Edmonds, Mukilteo, Snohomish, and the surrounding communities. Start a no-pressure conversation at tenhulzenconstruction.com.
Check back next month for another color worth knowing about.
Scott Tenhulzen
