Denim vs Paper Lantern
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Denim belongs to the blue family and Paper Lantern to the beige family. Paper Lantern (LRV 76) reflects noticeably more light than Denim (LRV 14), a difference of 62 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Denim runs cool while Paper Lantern is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 56.7, 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.
Denim vs Paper Lantern in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Denim and Paper Lantern 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 Paper Lantern will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Denim would.
Color Details
Denim vs Paper Lantern Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Denim 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.
More Denim comparisons
See how Denim stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 14, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 14, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 14, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 14, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 14, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
With LRVs of 14 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
With LRVs of 14 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 14, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (14 vs 7) makes Denim the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (24 vs 14) makes Cement grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 14, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.