Cold Foam vs Marshmallow
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Cold Foam reads as beige-greige, while Marshmallow reads as beige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (84 vs 82), so they'll read as similarly Light in most lighting conditions. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. At ΔE 1.2, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cold Foam vs Marshmallow in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Cold Foam and Marshmallow are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Cold Foam vs Marshmallow Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cold Foam on one side and Marshmallow 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 Cold Foam comparisons
See how Cold Foam stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 84 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Cold Foam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Cold Foam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Cold Foam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 58, Cold Foam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 84 vs 27, Cold Foam is decisively the brighter choice.
Cold Foam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 55, Cold Foam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 84 vs 44, Cold Foam is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 84 and 84, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 66, Cold Foam is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (84 vs 74) makes Cold Foam the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 84 vs 12, Cold Foam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 84 vs 68, Cold Foam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 84 vs 12, Cold Foam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 84 vs 45, Cold Foam is decisively the brighter choice.
Cold Foam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Cold Foam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Cold Foam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Cold Foam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.