Colonial Yellow vs Passageway
Where Colonial Yellow belongs to Sherwin-Williams's range, Passageway is a Valspar color. Colonial Yellow reads as beige-yellow, while Passageway reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Colonial Yellow (LRV 60) reflects noticeably more light than Passageway (LRV 14), a difference of 45 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 59.0, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Colonial Yellow vs Passageway in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Colonial Yellow and Passageway 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 Colonial Yellow will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Passageway would.
Color Details
Colonial Yellow vs Passageway Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Colonial Yellow on one side and Passageway 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 Colonial Yellow comparisons
See how Colonial Yellow stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
