Bauhaus Buff vs Mount Etna
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Bauhaus Buff belongs to the beige family and Mount Etna to the blue-grey family. Bauhaus Buff (LRV 72) reflects noticeably more light than Mount Etna (LRV 6), a difference of 66 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Bauhaus Buff runs warm while Mount Etna is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 59.8, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Bauhaus Buff vs Mount Etna in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Bauhaus Buff and Mount Etna 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 Bauhaus Buff will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Mount Etna would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Bauhaus Buff reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mount Etna.
Color Details
Bauhaus Buff vs Mount Etna Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Bauhaus Buff on one side and Mount Etna 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.