Hay vs Shoji White
Hay (Farrow & Ball) and Shoji White (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Hay belongs to the beige family and Shoji White to the beige-greige family. The 16-point LRV gap — 74 for Shoji White vs 58 for Hay — means Shoji White will open up a space more effectively. Both share a warm character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 22.9 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Hay vs Shoji White in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Hay and Shoji White 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Shoji White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hay.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Shoji White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Hay vs Shoji White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Hay on one side and Shoji White 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 Hay comparisons
See how Hay stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
