Cardboard vs Fallen Leaves
Cardboard and Fallen Leaves come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Cardboard reads as beige, while Fallen Leaves reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 22 vs 19 — 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. ΔE 6.3 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.
Cardboard vs Fallen Leaves in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Cardboard and Fallen Leaves 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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Patio
Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Cardboard vs Fallen Leaves Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cardboard on one side and Fallen Leaves 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 Cardboard comparisons
See how Cardboard stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 22, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 22), opening up a space where Cardboard encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 22), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 22), opening up a space where Cardboard encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 22, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (27 vs 22) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 22), opening up a space where Cardboard encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 22, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 22, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 22), opening up a space where Cardboard encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 22, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 22, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (22 vs 12) makes Cardboard the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 22, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (22 vs 12) makes Cardboard the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 22, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 22), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cardboard reflects far more light (LRV 22 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
With LRVs of 24 and 22, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 22), opening up a space where Cardboard encloses it.