Buttermilk vs Calamine
Buttermilk (Cloverdale Paint) and Calamine (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Buttermilk reads as beige, while Calamine reads as pink-red — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 18-point LRV gap — 85 for Buttermilk vs 68 for Calamine — means Buttermilk will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 10.9 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Buttermilk vs Calamine in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Buttermilk and Calamine in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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. Buttermilk reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Calamine.
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. Buttermilk returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Buttermilk returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Buttermilk will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Calamine would.
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. Buttermilk returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Buttermilk vs Calamine Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Buttermilk on one side and Calamine 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 Buttermilk comparisons
See how Buttermilk stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 85 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 69), opening up a space where Ammonite encloses it.
At LRV 85 vs 6, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 85 vs 52, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 85 vs 58, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 27, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 85 vs 55, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 13, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 44, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 85 and 84, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 85 vs 66, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (85 vs 74) makes Buttermilk the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 85 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 85 vs 12, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 68, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 85 vs 12, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 45, Buttermilk is decisively the brighter choice.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.
Buttermilk reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 72), opening up a space where Just Walnut encloses it.