Varnished Ivory vs White Sesame paint color comparison

Varnished Ivory vs White Sesame

Varnished Ivory is a Behr color while White Sesame comes from Sherwin-Williams. Varnished Ivory reads as beige, while White Sesame reads as beige-white — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. With LRVs of 72 and 71, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. The tonal difference — Varnished Ivory's red character against White Sesame's warm — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. With a ΔE of 1.2, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Varnished Ivory vs White Sesame in Real Spaces

1 real room side by side. Varnished Ivory and White Sesame are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.

Kitchen

Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.

Varnished IvoryBehr Varnished Ivory kitchen interior

@butterfliesinthyme

White SesameSherwin Williams White Sesame kitchen paint

@pitcher_perfect_painting

Color Details

Varnished Ivory
Behr · MQ3-40
Hex#e5dccc
LRV72.1
BrandBehr
NumberMQ3-40
UndertoneRed
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessLight
White Sesame
Sherwin-Williams · 9586
Hex#E3DBCD
LRV71.3
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number9586
Undertone
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessLight

Varnished Ivory vs White Sesame Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Varnished Ivory on one side and White Sesame on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.

More Varnished Ivory comparisons

See how Varnished Ivory stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

Varnished Ivory
White Dove
Varnished Ivory
White Dove
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 72), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Varnished Ivory
Ammonite
Varnished Ivory
Ammonite
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

A 3-point LRV gap (72 vs 69) makes Varnished Ivory the marginally brighter of the two.

Varnished Ivory
Iron Ore
Varnished Ivory
Iron Ore
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

Varnished Ivory reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.

Varnished Ivory
Purbeck Stone
Varnished Ivory
Purbeck Stone
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

At LRV 72 vs 52, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.

Varnished Ivory
Evergreen Fog
Varnished Ivory
Evergreen Fog
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

At LRV 72 vs 30, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.

Varnished Ivory
Mizzle
Varnished Ivory
Mizzle
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

Varnished Ivory reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.

Varnished Ivory
Agreeable Gray
Varnished Ivory
Agreeable Gray
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

A 12-point LRV gap (72 vs 60) makes Varnished Ivory the marginally brighter of the two.

Varnished Ivory
Accessible Beige
Varnished Ivory
Accessible Beige
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

Varnished Ivory reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.

Varnished Ivory
Denim Drift
Varnished Ivory
Denim Drift
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

Varnished Ivory reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.

Varnished Ivory
French Gray
Varnished Ivory
French Gray
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

At LRV 72 vs 43, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.

Varnished Ivory
Naval
Varnished Ivory
Naval
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

At LRV 72 vs 4, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.

Varnished Ivory
Tranquil Dawn
Varnished Ivory
Tranquil Dawn
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

Varnished Ivory reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.

Varnished Ivory
Bancha
Varnished Ivory
Bancha
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13

Varnished Ivory reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.

Varnished Ivory
Hardwick White
Varnished Ivory
Hardwick White
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

Varnished Ivory reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.

Varnished Ivory
Pure White
Varnished Ivory
Pure White
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

A 12-point LRV gap (84 vs 72) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.

Varnished Ivory
Artichoke
Varnished Ivory
Artichoke
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21

At LRV 72 vs 21, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.

Varnished Ivory
Balboa Mist
Varnished Ivory
Balboa Mist
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

Varnished Ivory reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Varnished Ivory
Shoji White
Varnished Ivory
Shoji White
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

With LRVs of 74 and 72, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.

Varnished Ivory
Snowbound
Varnished Ivory
Snowbound
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

Snowbound reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 72), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Varnished Ivory
Pewter Green
Varnished Ivory
Pewter Green
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

Varnished Ivory reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.

Varnished Ivory
Skimming Stone
Varnished Ivory
Skimming Stone
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

Varnished Ivory reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Varnished Ivory
Dix Blue
Varnished Ivory
Dix Blue
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41

At LRV 72 vs 41, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.

Varnished Ivory
Calamine
Varnished Ivory
Calamine
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
Farrow & Ball
Calamine
LRV 68

A 5-point LRV gap (72 vs 68) makes Varnished Ivory the marginally brighter of the two.

Varnished Ivory
Treron
Varnished Ivory
Treron
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
Farrow & Ball
Treron
LRV 25

At LRV 72 vs 25, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.

Varnished Ivory
Vintage Vogue
Varnished Ivory
Vintage Vogue
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

Varnished Ivory reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.

Varnished Ivory
Saybrook Sage
Varnished Ivory
Saybrook Sage
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

Varnished Ivory reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.

Varnished Ivory
Pale Green
Varnished Ivory
Pale Green
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

At LRV 72 vs 31, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.

Varnished Ivory
Pine Needle
Varnished Ivory
Pine Needle
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

At LRV 72 vs 7, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.

Varnished Ivory
Cement grey
Varnished Ivory
Cement grey
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

At LRV 72 vs 24, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.

Varnished Ivory
Guilford Green
Varnished Ivory
Guilford Green
Behr
Varnished Ivory
MQ3-40 · LRV 72

At LRV 72 vs 57, Varnished Ivory is decisively the brighter choice.