Caraïbe vs Grounded paint color comparison

Caraïbe vs Grounded

Caraïbe and Grounded come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. These are both beige-greiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige-greige to land. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 13 vs 12 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Both share a warm character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 2.5 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Caraïbe vs Grounded in Real Spaces

10 real rooms side by side. Caraïbe and Grounded 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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.

CaraïbeA scandinavian living room painted in Caraïbe

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GroundedA minimalist living room painted in Grounded

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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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.

CaraïbeA modern luxury bedroom painted in Caraïbe

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GroundedA scandinavian bedroom painted in Grounded

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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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.

CaraïbeCaraïbe — organic modern kitchen

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GroundedGrounded — industrial 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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.

CaraïbeCaraïbe paint in a moody dining room

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GroundedGrounded paint in a minimalist 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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.

CaraïbeCaraïbe — minimalist bathroom

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GroundedGrounded — coastal 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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.

CaraïbeSherwin-Williams Caraïbe in a minimalist home office

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GroundedSherwin-Williams Grounded in a scandinavian 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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.

CaraïbeCaraïbe paint in a coastal mudroom

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GroundedGrounded paint in a cottagecore 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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.

Caraïbewabi-sabi patio featuring Caraïbe by Sherwin-Williams

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Groundedmediterranean patio featuring Grounded 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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.

CaraïbeCaraïbe color — rustic modern house inspiration

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GroundedGrounded color — modern luxury 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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.

Caraïbestylish front door featuring Caraïbe by Sherwin-Williams

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GroundedGrounded — rustic modern front door

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Color Details

Caraïbe
Sherwin-Williams · 9090
LRV12.8
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number9090
Undertone—
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessDark
Grounded
Sherwin-Williams · 6089
LRV11.9
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number6089
Undertone—
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessDark

Caraïbe vs Grounded Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Caraïbe on one side and Grounded 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.