Refined Yellow vs Pure White
Where Refined Yellow belongs to Jotun's range, Pure White is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Refined Yellow belongs to the beige-yellow family and Pure White to the beige-greige family. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than Refined Yellow (LRV 44), a difference of 40 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 27.1, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Refined Yellow vs Pure White in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Refined Yellow 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
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 LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Refined Yellow would.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Refined Yellow.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Refined Yellow.
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 Refined Yellow.
Color Details
Refined Yellow vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Refined Yellow 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 Refined Yellow comparisons
See how Refined Yellow stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 44), opening up a space where Refined Yellow encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 44, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 6, Refined Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Refined Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (52 vs 44) makes Mizzle the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 44), opening up a space where Refined Yellow encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 44, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 27, Refined Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 44 and 43, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Refined Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (55 vs 44) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 13, Refined Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 44 vs 44), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Refined Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 44, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 44, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 44, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reads slightly lighter (LRV 51 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 44 vs 12, Refined Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 8, Refined Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 44, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Refined Yellow reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 44 vs 12, Refined Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 44), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Refined Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Refined Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.