Cashew vs Softer Tan
Cashew (Cloverdale Paint) and Softer Tan (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the beige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 60 vs 60 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 1.1 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.
Cashew vs Softer Tan in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Cashew and Softer Tan 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
Cashew vs Softer Tan Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cashew on one side and Softer Tan 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 Cashew comparisons
See how Cashew stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 60, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Cashew reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cashew reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
With LRVs of 60 and 60, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 60 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 60 vs 27, Cashew is decisively the brighter choice.
Cashew reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (60 vs 55) makes Cashew the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 44, Cashew is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 60), opening up a space where Cashew encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (66 vs 60) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 60, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 12, Cashew is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 8, Cashew is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (68 vs 60) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 12, Cashew is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 45, Cashew is decisively the brighter choice.
Cashew reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.