Sweet Buttermilk vs China Clay

Sweet Buttermilk is a Cloverdale Paint color while China Clay comes from Little Greene. These are both beiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige to land. With LRVs of 84 and 86, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 2.9, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Sweet Buttermilk vs China Clay in Real Spaces

2 real rooms side by side. Sweet Buttermilk and China Clay 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.

Sweet ButtermilkSweet Buttermilk 1021 by Cloverdale Paint — Living Room

@visualization

China ClayLittle Greene China Clay 1 living room

@old.bramley.cottage

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.

Sweet ButtermilkSweet Buttermilk 1021 by Cloverdale Paint — Bathroom

@visualization

China ClayLittle Greene China Clay 1 bathroom panelling

@the.canal.house.renovation

Color Details

Sweet Buttermilk
Cloverdale Paint · 1021
Hex#F9EBDA
LRV84.0
BrandCloverdale Paint
Number1021
Undertone
Temperature
BrightnessLight
China Clay
Little Greene · 1
Hex#f7ede0
LRV85.7
BrandLittle Greene
Number1
UndertoneRed
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessLight

Sweet Buttermilk vs China Clay Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sweet Buttermilk on one side and China Clay on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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 Sweet Buttermilk comparisons

See how Sweet Buttermilk stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

White Dove
Sweet Buttermilk
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
White Dove
LRV 83

Nearly identical in tone

Ammonite
Sweet Buttermilk
Ammonite
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

Sweet Buttermilk reads noticeably lighter

Iron Ore
Sweet Buttermilk
Iron Ore
Sherwin-Williams
Iron Ore
LRV 6

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Purbeck Stone
Sweet Buttermilk
Purbeck Stone
Farrow & Ball
Purbeck Stone
LRV 52

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Evergreen Fog
Sweet Buttermilk
Evergreen Fog
Sherwin-Williams
Evergreen Fog
LRV 30

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Mizzle
Sweet Buttermilk
Mizzle
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Agreeable Gray
Sweet Buttermilk
Agreeable Gray
Sherwin-Williams
Agreeable Gray
LRV 60

Sweet Buttermilk reads noticeably lighter

Accessible Beige
Sweet Buttermilk
Accessible Beige
Sherwin-Williams
Accessible Beige
LRV 58

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Denim Drift
Sweet Buttermilk
Denim Drift
Dulux
Denim Drift
LRV 27

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

French Gray
Sweet Buttermilk
French Gray
Farrow & Ball
French Gray
LRV 43

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Naval
Sweet Buttermilk
Naval
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Tranquil Dawn
Sweet Buttermilk
Tranquil Dawn
Dulux
Tranquil Dawn
LRV 55

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Bancha
Sweet Buttermilk
Bancha
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Hardwick White
Sweet Buttermilk
Hardwick White
Farrow & Ball
Hardwick White
LRV 44

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Pure White
Sweet Buttermilk
Pure White
Sherwin-Williams
Pure White
LRV 84

Nearly identical in tone

Artichoke
Sweet Buttermilk
Artichoke
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Balboa Mist
Sweet Buttermilk
Balboa Mist
Benjamin Moore
Balboa Mist
LRV 66

Sweet Buttermilk reads noticeably lighter

Shoji White
Sweet Buttermilk
Shoji White
Sherwin-Williams
Shoji White
LRV 74

Sweet Buttermilk reads slightly lighter

Snowbound
Sweet Buttermilk
Snowbound
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

Nearly identical in tone

Pewter Green
Sweet Buttermilk
Pewter Green
Sherwin-Williams
Pewter Green
LRV 12

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Skimming Stone
Sweet Buttermilk
Skimming Stone
Farrow & Ball
Skimming Stone
LRV 68

Sweet Buttermilk reads noticeably lighter

Dix Blue
Sweet Buttermilk
Dix Blue
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Calamine
Sweet Buttermilk
Calamine
Farrow & Ball
Calamine
LRV 68

Sweet Buttermilk reads noticeably lighter

Treron
Sweet Buttermilk
Treron
Farrow & Ball
Treron
LRV 25

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Vintage Vogue
Sweet Buttermilk
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Vintage Vogue
LRV 12

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Saybrook Sage
Sweet Buttermilk
Saybrook Sage
Benjamin Moore
Saybrook Sage
LRV 45

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Pale Green
Sweet Buttermilk
Pale Green
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Pine Needle
Sweet Buttermilk
Pine Needle
Dulux
Pine Needle
LRV 7

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Cement grey
Sweet Buttermilk
Cement grey
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice

Guilford Green
Sweet Buttermilk
Guilford Green
Benjamin Moore
Guilford Green
LRV 57

Sweet Buttermilk is the lighter choice