RAL 290-1 vs Golden Rule
Where RAL 290-1 belongs to RAL Effect's range, Golden Rule is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the beige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. RAL 290-1 (LRV 38) reflects noticeably more light than Golden Rule (LRV 34), a difference of 4 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. The ΔE 3.8 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 290-1 vs Golden Rule in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. RAL 290-1 and Golden Rule 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 — RAL 290-1 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. RAL 290-1 reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. RAL 290-1 reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. RAL 290-1 reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
RAL 290-1 vs Golden Rule Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 290-1 on one side and Golden Rule 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 RAL 290-1 comparisons
See how RAL 290-1 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 38, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 38), opening up a space where RAL 290-1 encloses it.
RAL 290-1 reads slightly lighter (LRV 38 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 38), opening up a space where RAL 290-1 encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 38, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (38 vs 27) makes RAL 290-1 the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 38), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 38, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (44 vs 38) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 38), opening up a space where RAL 290-1 encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 38, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 38, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 38 vs 12, RAL 290-1 is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 38, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 38 vs 12, RAL 290-1 is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (45 vs 38) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
RAL 290-1 reads slightly lighter (LRV 38 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
RAL 290-1 reflects far more light (LRV 38 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
RAL 290-1 reflects far more light (LRV 38 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 38), opening up a space where RAL 290-1 encloses it.