Antiquarian Brown vs Decorous Amber
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Both sit in the beige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Decorous Amber (LRV 22) reflects noticeably more light than Antiquarian Brown (LRV 16), a difference of 6 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. The ΔE 8.3 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Antiquarian Brown vs Decorous Amber in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Antiquarian Brown and Decorous Amber 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 — Decorous Amber 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. Decorous Amber 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. Decorous Amber 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. Decorous Amber reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The brightness difference is modest but present — Decorous Amber gives the walls a little more lift.
Color Details
Antiquarian Brown vs Decorous Amber Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Antiquarian Brown on one side and Decorous Amber 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 Antiquarian Brown comparisons
See how Antiquarian Brown stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 16, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 16), opening up a space where Antiquarian Brown encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (16 vs 6) makes Antiquarian Brown the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 16), opening up a space where Antiquarian Brown encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 16), opening up a space where Antiquarian Brown encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 16, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 16), opening up a space where Antiquarian Brown encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 16, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (27 vs 16) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 16), opening up a space where Antiquarian Brown encloses it.
Antiquarian Brown reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 16, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 16 vs 13), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 44 vs 16, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 16), opening up a space where Antiquarian Brown encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 16), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 16, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 16, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 16, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (16 vs 12) makes Antiquarian Brown the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 16, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 16), opening up a space where Antiquarian Brown encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 16), opening up a space where Antiquarian Brown encloses it.
Treron reads slightly lighter (LRV 25 vs 16), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 4-point LRV gap (16 vs 12) makes Antiquarian Brown the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 16, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 16), opening up a space where Antiquarian Brown encloses it.
Antiquarian Brown reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 16), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 16), opening up a space where Antiquarian Brown encloses it.