Clary Sage vs White Duck
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Clary Sage belongs to the greige-grey family and White Duck to the beige-greige family. White Duck (LRV 74) reflects noticeably more light than Clary Sage (LRV 41), a difference of 33 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Clary Sage runs neutral while White Duck is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 19.7, 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 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Clary Sage vs White Duck in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Clary Sage and White Duck 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 White Duck will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Clary Sage 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. White Duck reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Clary Sage.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. White Duck reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Clary Sage.
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. White Duck reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Clary Sage.
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. White Duck reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Clary Sage.
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. White Duck reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Clary Sage.
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 White Duck will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Clary Sage would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. White Duck reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Clary Sage.
Color Details
Clary Sage vs White Duck Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Clary Sage on one side and White Duck 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 Clary Sage comparisons
See how Clary Sage stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
