Carmine vs Pewter Green
Carmine and Pewter Green come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Hue-wise, Carmine belongs to the pink-red family and Pewter Green to the green-grey family. The 7-point LRV gap — 12 for Pewter Green vs 5 for Carmine — means Pewter Green will open up a space more effectively. Where Carmine leans warm, Pewter Green reads neutral — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 52.8 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Carmine vs Pewter Green in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Carmine and Pewter Green in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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. Pewter Green reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Pewter Green has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Pewter Green has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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 — Pewter Green gives the walls a little more lift.
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. Pewter Green has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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. Pewter Green has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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 — Pewter Green gives the walls a little more lift.
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 — Pewter Green gives the walls a little more lift.
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. Pewter Green has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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. Pewter Green reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Carmine vs Pewter Green Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Carmine on one side and Pewter Green 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 Carmine comparisons
See how Carmine stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 5), opening up a space where Carmine encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 5, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 5, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 5, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 5), opening up a space where Carmine encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 5), opening up a space where Carmine encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 5, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 5), opening up a space where Carmine encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 5), opening up a space where Carmine encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 5, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 5), opening up a space where Carmine encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 5), opening up a space where Carmine encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 5), opening up a space where Carmine encloses it.
Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 5), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 5), opening up a space where Carmine encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 5, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 7 vs 5), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 24 vs 5, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 5, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 5, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.