Dark Chocolate vs Steam

Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. These are both beige-greiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige-greige to land. Steam (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than Dark Chocolate (LRV 10), a difference of 74 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Dark Chocolate runs red while Steam is decidedly yellow, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 59.8, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below, 5 simulated room previews show how each color reads at scale — real-room photos will be added as they become available.