Citronella vs High Strung
Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. Both sit in the beige-yellow family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. At LRV 41 vs 31, Citronella will read as the brighter of the two — a 10-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. They share a warm quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. At ΔE 16.7, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Citronella vs High Strung in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Citronella and High Strung 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Citronella returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Citronella will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than High Strung would.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The LRV gap is large enough that Citronella will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than High Strung would.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. Citronella reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than High Strung.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Citronella will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than High Strung would.
Home Office
In a home office, wall color sits in your peripheral vision for hours at a time, so temperature and undertone matter more than you might expect. The LRV gap is large enough that Citronella will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than High Strung would.
Mudroom
A mudroom color needs to hold up under the most casual scrutiny: a glance as you're coming and going, often in mixed or artificial light. Citronella reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than High Strung.
Patio
Patio colors are seen under changing outdoor light throughout the day — morning, midday, and golden hour each reveal different qualities. Citronella reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than High Strung.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Citronella will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than High Strung would.
Front Door
Front doors are seen in isolation against the rest of the facade, which makes them a high-stakes surface where even subtle differences matter. Citronella returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Citronella vs High Strung Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Citronella on one side and High Strung 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 Citronella comparisons
See how Citronella stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 41, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (52 vs 41) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
A 11-point LRV gap (41 vs 30) makes Citronella the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 41, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.
Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 43 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 41 vs 4, Citronella is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.
Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
With LRVs of 44 and 41, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 41, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 41 vs 21, Citronella is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.
Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 41 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 41, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 41 vs 25, Citronella is decisively the brighter choice.
Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 10-point LRV gap (41 vs 31) makes Citronella the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 41 vs 7, Citronella is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 41 vs 24, Citronella is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 41, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.