Calamine vs Thistle
Where Calamine belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Thistle is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Calamine belongs to the pink-red family and Thistle to the grey family. Calamine (LRV 68) reflects noticeably more light than Thistle (LRV 30), a difference of 37 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Calamine runs warm while Thistle is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 25.6, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Calamine vs Thistle in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Calamine and Thistle in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Color Details
Calamine vs Thistle Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Calamine on one side and Thistle 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 Calamine comparisons
See how Calamine stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
