City Loft vs Dried Thyme
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, City Loft belongs to the beige-greige family and Dried Thyme to the grey family. City Loft (LRV 70) reflects noticeably more light than Dried Thyme (LRV 21), a difference of 50 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. City Loft runs warm while Dried Thyme is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 35.0, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
City Loft vs Dried Thyme in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing City Loft and Dried Thyme 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that City Loft will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Dried Thyme would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. City Loft reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dried Thyme.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. City Loft reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dried Thyme.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. City Loft reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dried Thyme.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. City Loft reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dried Thyme.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. City Loft reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dried Thyme.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that City Loft will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Dried Thyme would.
Color Details
City Loft vs Dried Thyme Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see City Loft on one side and Dried Thyme 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 City Loft comparisons
See how City Loft stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
