Dried Thyme vs Ethereal White
Dried Thyme and Ethereal White come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Dried Thyme reads as grey, while Ethereal White reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 55-point LRV gap — 76 for Ethereal White vs 21 for Dried Thyme — means Ethereal White will open up a space more effectively. Where Dried Thyme leans neutral, Ethereal White reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 37.3 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 9 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Dried Thyme vs Ethereal White in Real Spaces
9 real rooms side by side. Seeing Dried Thyme and Ethereal White 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Ethereal White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dried Thyme.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Ethereal White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Ethereal White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Ethereal White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Dried Thyme would.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Ethereal White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Ethereal White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The LRV gap is large enough that Ethereal White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Dried Thyme would.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Ethereal White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Ethereal White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dried Thyme.
Color Details
Dried Thyme vs Ethereal White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Dried Thyme on one side and Ethereal White 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 Dried Thyme comparisons
See how Dried Thyme stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 21, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 21), opening up a space where Dried Thyme encloses it.
At LRV 21 vs 6, Dried Thyme is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 21), opening up a space where Dried Thyme encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 21, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 21), opening up a space where Dried Thyme encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 21, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (27 vs 21) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 21), opening up a space where Dried Thyme encloses it.
Dried Thyme reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 21, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (21 vs 13) makes Dried Thyme the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 21, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 21), opening up a space where Dried Thyme encloses it.
With LRVs of 21 and 21, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 66 vs 21, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 21, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 21, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (21 vs 12) makes Dried Thyme the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 21, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 21), opening up a space where Dried Thyme encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 21), opening up a space where Dried Thyme encloses it.
Treron reads slightly lighter (LRV 25 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 9-point LRV gap (21 vs 12) makes Dried Thyme the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 21, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Dried Thyme reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 21), opening up a space where Dried Thyme encloses it.