Almond vs Buff
Almond (Cloverdale Paint) and Buff (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. These are both beiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige to land. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 76 vs 75 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 0.8 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Almond vs Buff in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Almond and Buff 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.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Almond vs Buff Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Almond on one side and Buff on the other.
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 Almond comparisons
See how Almond stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 7-point LRV gap (83 vs 76) makes White Dove the marginally brighter of the two.
Almond reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Almond reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Almond reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 76 vs 58, Almond is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 76 vs 27, Almond is decisively the brighter choice.
Almond reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 76 vs 55, Almond is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 76 vs 44, Almond is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 76), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 10-point LRV gap (76 vs 66) makes Almond the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 76 vs 74), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 76 vs 12, Almond is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (76 vs 68) makes Almond the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 76 vs 12, Almond is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 76 vs 45, Almond is decisively the brighter choice.
Almond reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Almond reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Almond reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Almond reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.