Browse Brown vs Chinchilla paint color comparison

Browse Brown vs Chinchilla

Browse Brown and Chinchilla come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. The 7-point LRV gap — 20 for Chinchilla vs 13 for Browse Brown — means Chinchilla will open up a space more effectively. Both share a neutral character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. ΔE 9.3 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Browse Brown vs Chinchilla in Real Spaces

10 real rooms side by side. Browse Brown and Chinchilla 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

A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Chinchilla reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.

Browse BrownA minimalist living room painted in Browse Brown

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ChinchillaA mid century living room painted in Chinchilla

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Bedroom

Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Chinchilla has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.

Browse BrownA art deco bedroom painted in Browse Brown

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ChinchillaA art deco bedroom painted in Chinchilla

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Kitchen

Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Chinchilla has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.

Browse BrownBrowse Brown — contemporary kitchen

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ChinchillaChinchilla — minimalist kitchen

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Dining Room

Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The brightness difference is modest but present — Chinchilla gives the walls a little more lift.

Browse BrownBrowse Brown paint in a mid century dining room

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ChinchillaChinchilla paint in a contemporary dining room

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Bathroom

Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Chinchilla has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.

Browse BrownBrowse Brown — earthy bathroom

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ChinchillaChinchilla — vintage bathroom

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Home Office

Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Chinchilla has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.

Browse BrownSherwin-Williams Browse Brown in a neutral home office

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ChinchillaSherwin-Williams Chinchilla in a minimalist home office

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Mudroom

In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The brightness difference is modest but present — Chinchilla gives the walls a little more lift.

Browse BrownBrowse Brown paint in a small mudroom

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ChinchillaChinchilla paint in a small mudroom

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Patio

Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. The brightness difference is modest but present — Chinchilla gives the walls a little more lift.

Browse Brownmediterranean patio featuring Browse Brown by Sherwin-Williams

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Chinchillarustic modern patio featuring Chinchilla by Sherwin-Williams

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House

A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Chinchilla has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.

Browse BrownBrowse Brown color — transitional house inspiration

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ChinchillaChinchilla color — scandinavian house inspiration

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Front Door

On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Chinchilla reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.

Browse Brownbold front door featuring Browse Brown by Sherwin-Williams

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Chinchillascandinavian front door featuring Chinchilla by Sherwin-Williams

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Color Details

Browse Brown
Sherwin-Williams · 6012
LRV12.7
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number6012
Undertone—
TemperatureNeutral
BrightnessDark
Chinchilla
Sherwin-Williams · 6011
LRV19.8
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number6011
Undertone—
TemperatureNeutral
BrightnessMedium

Browse Brown vs Chinchilla Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Browse Brown on one side and Chinchilla on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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.