Old White vs Pure White
Old White is a Farrow & Ball color while Pure White comes from Sherwin-Williams. Both sit in the beige-greige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. At LRV 84 vs 55, Pure White will read as the brighter of the two — a 29-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. They share a warm quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. At ΔE 17.1, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Old White vs Pure White in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Old White and Pure 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
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. Pure White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Old White would.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Old White would.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Old White would.
Home Office
In a home office, wall color sits in your peripheral vision for hours at a time, so temperature and undertone matter more than you might expect. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Old White would.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Old White would.
Front Door
Front doors are seen in isolation against the rest of the facade, which makes them a high-stakes surface where even subtle differences matter. Pure White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Old White would.
Color Details
Old White vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Old White on one side and Pure 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 Old White comparisons
See how Old White stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 55), opening up a space where Old White encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (55 vs 52) makes Old White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 55 vs 30, Old White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (60 vs 55) makes Agreeable Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 58 and 55, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Old White reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (55 vs 43) makes Old White the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 55 and 55, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Old White reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 55), opening up a space where Old White encloses it.
Old White reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Old White reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 55), opening up a space where Old White encloses it.
Old White reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Old White reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 31, Old White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 55 vs 7, Old White is decisively the brighter choice.