Calm Before The Storm vs RAL 120-3
Calm Before The Storm (Cloverdale Paint) and RAL 120-3 (RAL Effect) come from different manufacturers. Calm Before The Storm reads as beige, while RAL 120-3 reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 83 vs 85 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 2.1 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Calm Before The Storm vs RAL 120-3 in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Calm Before The Storm and RAL 120-3 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.
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
Calm Before The Storm vs RAL 120-3 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Calm Before The Storm on one side and RAL 120-3 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 Calm Before The Storm comparisons
See how Calm Before The Storm stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 69), opening up a space where Ammonite encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 6, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 52, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 58, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 27, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 55, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 13, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 44, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 84 and 83, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 66, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (83 vs 74) makes Calm Before The Storm the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 83 vs 12, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 68, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 68), opening up a space where Calamine encloses it.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 12, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 45, Calm Before The Storm is decisively the brighter choice.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Calm Before The Storm reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.