Emu vs Matrix
Emu is a Cloverdale Paint color while Matrix comes from Jotun. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. With LRVs of 18 and 20, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 2.6, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Emu vs Matrix in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Emu and Matrix 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Emu vs Matrix Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Emu on one side and Matrix 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 Emu comparisons
See how Emu stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 18, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 18), opening up a space where Emu encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 18), opening up a space where Emu encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 18), opening up a space where Emu encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 18, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (27 vs 18) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 18), opening up a space where Emu encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 18, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 18, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 18), opening up a space where Emu encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 18, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 18, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (18 vs 12) makes Emu the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (18 vs 8) makes Emu the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 18, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (18 vs 12) makes Emu the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 18, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 18), opening up a space where Emu encloses it.