Empire Gold vs Lanyard
Empire Gold and Lanyard come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Both sit in the beige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 37 vs 35 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Both share a warm character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. ΔE 5.6 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Empire Gold vs Lanyard in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Empire Gold and Lanyard 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
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Patio
Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Empire Gold vs Lanyard Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Empire Gold on one side and Lanyard 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 Empire Gold comparisons
See how Empire Gold stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 37), opening up a space where Empire Gold encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 37, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Empire Gold reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 37, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (37 vs 30) makes Empire Gold the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 37), opening up a space where Empire Gold encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 37, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 37), opening up a space where Empire Gold encloses it.
Empire Gold reads slightly lighter (LRV 37 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (43 vs 37) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 37 vs 4, Empire Gold is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 37), opening up a space where Empire Gold encloses it.
Empire Gold reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 37), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 37, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 37 vs 21, Empire Gold is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 37), opening up a space where Empire Gold encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 37), opening up a space where Empire Gold encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 37), opening up a space where Empire Gold encloses it.
Empire Gold reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 37), opening up a space where Empire Gold encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (41 vs 37) makes Dix Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 37, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 37 vs 25, Empire Gold is decisively the brighter choice.
Empire Gold reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 37), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (37 vs 31) makes Empire Gold the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 37 vs 7, Empire Gold is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 37 vs 24, Empire Gold is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 37, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.