Cord vs Biltmore Buff
Where Cord belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Biltmore Buff is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the beige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Biltmore Buff (LRV 61) reflects noticeably more light than Cord (LRV 55), a difference of 5 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. The ΔE 4.2 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cord vs Biltmore Buff in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Cord and Biltmore Buff 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
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 — Biltmore Buff 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. Biltmore Buff reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Cord vs Biltmore Buff Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cord on one side and Biltmore Buff 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 Cord comparisons
See how Cord stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 55, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Cord reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cord reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Cord reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 55 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 12-point LRV gap (55 vs 44) makes Cord the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 55), opening up a space where Cord encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (66 vs 55) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 55, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 55, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (55 vs 45) makes Cord the marginally brighter of the two.
Cord reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.