Butter Up vs French Vanilla
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. French Vanilla (LRV 83) reflects noticeably more light than Butter Up (LRV 74), a difference of 9 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 18.5, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Butter Up vs French Vanilla in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Butter Up and French Vanilla in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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. French Vanilla reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Butter Up.
Color Details
Butter Up vs French Vanilla Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Butter Up on one side and French Vanilla 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.