Dakota Wheat vs Icy
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Dakota Wheat belongs to the beige family and Icy to the blue family. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (54 vs 56), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. Dakota Wheat runs warm while Icy is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 36.4, 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 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Dakota Wheat vs Icy in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Dakota Wheat and Icy 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 temperature contrast between Dakota Wheat and Icy is what sets these apart most in this context.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Dakota Wheat brings more warmth to the space, while Icy keeps things cooler and crisper.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Dakota Wheat brings more warmth to the space, while Icy keeps things cooler and crisper.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Icy reads more restrained here, while Dakota Wheat adds a sense of enclosure and warmth.
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. Dakota Wheat brings more warmth to the space, while Icy keeps things cooler and crisper.
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. Dakota Wheat brings more warmth to the space, while Icy keeps things cooler and crisper.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Icy reads more restrained here, while Dakota Wheat adds a sense of enclosure and warmth.
Patio
Outside, paint color competes with sky, landscaping, and direct sun — all of which shift how both of these read compared to an indoor chip. Icy reads more restrained here, while Dakota Wheat adds a sense of enclosure and warmth.
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. Dakota Wheat brings more warmth to the space, while Icy keeps things cooler and crisper.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The temperature contrast between Dakota Wheat and Icy is what sets these apart most in this context.
Color Details
Dakota Wheat vs Icy Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Dakota Wheat on one side and Icy 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 Dakota Wheat comparisons
See how Dakota Wheat stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 54, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 54), opening up a space where Dakota Wheat encloses it.
At LRV 54 vs 6, Dakota Wheat is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 54 and 52, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Dakota Wheat reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 54 vs 52), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 54), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 3-point LRV gap (58 vs 54) makes Accessible Beige the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 54 vs 27, Dakota Wheat is decisively the brighter choice.
Dakota Wheat reads slightly lighter (LRV 54 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Dakota Wheat reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 55 vs 54), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 54 vs 13, Dakota Wheat is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (54 vs 44) makes Dakota Wheat the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 54), opening up a space where Dakota Wheat encloses it.
Dakota Wheat reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (66 vs 54) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 54, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 54, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 54 vs 12, Dakota Wheat is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 54, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dakota Wheat reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 54), opening up a space where Dakota Wheat encloses it.
Dakota Wheat reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 54 vs 12, Dakota Wheat is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (54 vs 45) makes Dakota Wheat the marginally brighter of the two.
Dakota Wheat reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Dakota Wheat reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Dakota Wheat reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 57 vs 54), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.