String vs Pure White
Where String belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Pure White is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, String belongs to the beige family and Pure White to the beige-greige family. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than String (LRV 62), a difference of 22 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. With a ΔE of 17.8, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
String vs Pure White in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing String 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.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than String.
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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than String.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than String.
Color Details
String vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see String 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 String comparisons
See how String stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 62), opening up a space where String encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (62 vs 52) makes String the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 62 vs 30, String is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 62 vs 60), so neither reads brighter in a room.
String reads slightly lighter (LRV 62 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
String reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 62 vs 43, String is decisively the brighter choice.
String reads slightly lighter (LRV 62 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
String reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 62), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 62), opening up a space where String encloses it.
String reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 62), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
String reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
String reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 62 vs 31, String is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 62 vs 24, String is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (62 vs 57) makes String the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (72 vs 62) makes Just Walnut the marginally brighter of the two.