Wishful Thinking vs Just Walnut
Where Wishful Thinking belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Just Walnut is a Dulux color. Hue-wise, Wishful Thinking belongs to the pink-red family and Just Walnut to the beige-greige family. Wishful Thinking (LRV 79) reflects noticeably more light than Just Walnut (LRV 72), a difference of 7 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 10.4, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Wishful Thinking vs Just Walnut in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Wishful Thinking and Just Walnut in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The brightness difference is modest but present — Wishful Thinking gives the walls a little more lift.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Wishful Thinking reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Wishful Thinking reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Wishful Thinking has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Wishful Thinking reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Wishful Thinking vs Just Walnut Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Wishful Thinking on one side and Just Walnut 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 Wishful Thinking comparisons
See how Wishful Thinking stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
