Cottage Cream vs Paper Lantern
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Both sit in the beige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Paper Lantern (LRV 76) reflects noticeably more light than Cottage Cream (LRV 72), a difference of 4 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. At ΔE 2.1, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cottage Cream vs Paper Lantern in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Cottage Cream and Paper Lantern 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Paper Lantern gives the walls a little more lift.
Color Details
Cottage Cream vs Paper Lantern Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cottage Cream on one side and Paper Lantern 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.