Citronella vs Shoji White

CitronellaSherwin-WilliamsvsShoji WhiteSherwin-WilliamsΔE 68.9Very different colors

Citronella and Shoji White come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Hue-wise, Citronella belongs to the beige-yellow family and Shoji White to the beige-greige family. The 33-point LRV gap — 74 for Shoji White vs 41 for Citronella — means Shoji White 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. A ΔE of 68.9 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.

Citronella vs Shoji White in Real Spaces

10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Citronella and Shoji White 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. Shoji White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Citronella.

CitronellaA contemporary living room painted in Citronella

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Shoji WhiteShoji White SW 7042 living room

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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. Shoji White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

CitronellaA cozy bedroom painted in Citronella

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Shoji WhiteBedroom painted in Sherwin-Williams Shoji White

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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. Shoji White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

CitronellaCitronella — earthy kitchen

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Shoji WhiteSherwin Williams Shoji White kitchen cabinets

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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 Shoji White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Citronella would.

CitronellaCitronella paint in a minimalist dining room

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Shoji WhiteSW Shoji White modern 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. Shoji White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

CitronellaCitronella — japandi bathroom

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Shoji WhiteWhite bathroom in Shoji White by Sherwin Williams

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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. Shoji White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

CitronellaSherwin-Williams Citronella in a minimalist home office

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Shoji WhiteSW 7042 home office inspiration

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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 LRV gap is large enough that Shoji White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Citronella would.

CitronellaCitronella — small mudroom

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Shoji WhiteShoji White Mudroom - Coastal Shiplap Drop Zone

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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 LRV gap is large enough that Shoji White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Citronella would.

Citronellarustic modern patio featuring Citronella by Sherwin-Williams

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Shoji WhiteShoji White Patio - Modern Minimalist Escape

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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. Shoji White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

CitronellaCitronella color — coastal house inspiration

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Shoji WhiteShoji White house color review

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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. Shoji White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Citronella.

Citronellarustic modern front door featuring Citronella by Sherwin-Williams

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Shoji WhiteWhite front door with Shoji White SW 7042

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Color Details

Citronella
Sherwin-Williams · 6915
Hex#CBA901
LRV41.3
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number6915
Undertone
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessMedium
Shoji White
Sherwin-Williams · 7042
Hex#E6DFD3
LRV74.3
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number7042
Undertone
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessLight

Citronella vs Shoji White Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Citronella on one side and Shoji White 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.

More Citronella comparisons

See how Citronella stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

White Dove
Citronella
White Dove
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.

Ammonite
Citronella
Ammonite
Citronella
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

At LRV 69 vs 41, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.

Citronella
Iron Ore
Citronella
Iron Ore
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.

Purbeck Stone
Citronella
Purbeck Stone
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

A 11-point LRV gap (52 vs 41) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.

Citronella
Evergreen Fog
Citronella
Evergreen Fog
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

A 11-point LRV gap (41 vs 30) makes Citronella the marginally brighter of the two.

Mizzle
Citronella
Mizzle
Citronella
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Agreeable Gray
Citronella
Agreeable Gray
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

At LRV 60 vs 41, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.

Accessible Beige
Citronella
Accessible Beige
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.

Denim Drift
Citronella
Denim Drift
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.

French Gray
Citronella
French Gray
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 43 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.

Citronella
Naval
Citronella
Naval
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

At LRV 41 vs 4, Citronella is decisively the brighter choice.

Tranquil Dawn
Citronella
Tranquil Dawn
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.

Bancha
Citronella
Bancha
Citronella
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.

Hardwick White
Citronella
Hardwick White
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

With LRVs of 44 and 41, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.

Citronella
Pure White
Citronella vs Pure White
Citronella
Pure White
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

At LRV 84 vs 41, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.

Artichoke
Citronella
Artichoke
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

At LRV 41 vs 21, Citronella is decisively the brighter choice.

Balboa Mist
Citronella
Balboa Mist
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.

Citronella
Snowbound
Citronella
Snowbound
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.

Citronella
Pewter Green
Citronella
Pewter Green
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.

Skimming Stone
Citronella
Skimming Stone
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 41), opening up a space where Citronella encloses it.

Dix Blue
Citronella
Dix Blue
Citronella
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 41 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.

Calamine
Citronella
Calamine
Citronella
Farrow & Ball
Calamine
LRV 68
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

At LRV 68 vs 41, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.

Treron
Citronella
Treron
Citronella
Farrow & Ball
Treron
LRV 25
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

At LRV 41 vs 25, Citronella is decisively the brighter choice.

Vintage Vogue
Citronella
Vintage Vogue
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Citronella reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.

Saybrook Sage
Citronella
Saybrook Sage
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Pale Green
Citronella
Pale Green
Citronella
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

A 10-point LRV gap (41 vs 31) makes Citronella the marginally brighter of the two.

Pine Needle
Citronella
Pine Needle
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

At LRV 41 vs 7, Citronella is decisively the brighter choice.

Cement grey
Citronella
Cement grey
Citronella
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

At LRV 41 vs 24, Citronella is decisively the brighter choice.

Guilford Green
Citronella
Guilford Green
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

At LRV 57 vs 41, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.

Just Walnut
Citronella
Just Walnut
Citronella
Sherwin-Williams
Citronella
6915 · LRV 41

At LRV 72 vs 41, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.