Haystack vs Gardenia
Haystack is a Cloverdale Paint color while Gardenia comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both beiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige to land. With LRVs of 78 and 78, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 0.6, 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.
Haystack vs Gardenia in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Haystack and Gardenia 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.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Haystack vs Gardenia Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Haystack on one side and Gardenia 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 Haystack comparisons
See how Haystack stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 78), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 78 vs 52, Haystack is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 30, Haystack is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 60, Haystack is decisively the brighter choice.
Haystack reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Haystack reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 43, Haystack is decisively the brighter choice.
Haystack reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Haystack reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (84 vs 78) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.
Haystack reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 66), opening up a space where Balboa Mist encloses it.
Haystack reads slightly lighter (LRV 78 vs 74), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Haystack reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Haystack reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Haystack reads slightly lighter (LRV 78 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Haystack reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Haystack reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 31, Haystack is decisively the brighter choice.