Butternut vs Golden Fleece
Butternut and Golden Fleece come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. These are both beiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige to land. The 8-point LRV gap — 46 for Golden Fleece vs 37 for Butternut — means Golden Fleece will open up a space more effectively. Both share a warm character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. ΔE 9.6 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.
Butternut vs Golden Fleece in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Butternut and Golden Fleece 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. Golden Fleece reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Butternut.
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. Golden Fleece returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Golden Fleece returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Golden Fleece will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Butternut would.
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. Golden Fleece returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Golden Fleece returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The LRV gap is large enough that Golden Fleece will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Butternut would.
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 LRV gap is large enough that Golden Fleece will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Butternut would.
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. Golden Fleece returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Golden Fleece reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Butternut.
Color Details
Butternut vs Golden Fleece Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Butternut on one side and Golden Fleece 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 Butternut comparisons
See how Butternut stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 37), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 37, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (37 vs 30) makes Butternut the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 37, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 37), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
Butternut reads slightly lighter (LRV 37 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (43 vs 37) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 37), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 37), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 37, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 37), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 37), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
Butternut reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Butternut reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 37), opening up a space where Butternut encloses it.
Butternut reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 37), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (37 vs 31) makes Butternut the marginally brighter of the two.