Decorous Amber vs Smokey Topaz
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. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (22 vs 22), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. The ΔE 6.1 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Decorous Amber vs Smokey Topaz in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Decorous Amber and Smokey Topaz 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.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Decorous Amber vs Smokey Topaz Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Decorous Amber on one side and Smokey Topaz 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 Decorous Amber comparisons
See how Decorous Amber stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 22, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 22), opening up a space where Decorous Amber encloses it.
At LRV 22 vs 6, Decorous Amber is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 22), opening up a space where Decorous Amber encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 22), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 22, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 22), opening up a space where Decorous Amber encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 22, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (27 vs 22) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 22), opening up a space where Decorous Amber encloses it.
Decorous Amber reflects far more light (LRV 22 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 22, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (22 vs 13) makes Decorous Amber the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 22, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 22), opening up a space where Decorous Amber encloses it.
With LRVs of 22 and 21, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 66 vs 22, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 22, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 22, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (22 vs 12) makes Decorous Amber the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 22, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 22), opening up a space where Decorous Amber encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 22), opening up a space where Decorous Amber encloses it.
With LRVs of 25 and 22, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 10-point LRV gap (22 vs 12) makes Decorous Amber the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 22, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 22), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Decorous Amber reflects far more light (LRV 22 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
With LRVs of 24 and 22, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 22), opening up a space where Decorous Amber encloses it.