Empire Gold vs Rain Cloud paint color comparison

Empire Gold vs Rain Cloud

Empire GoldSherwin-WilliamsvsRain CloudSherwin-WilliamsΔE 46.2 — Very different colors

Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. Hue-wise, Empire Gold belongs to the beige family and Rain Cloud to the blue-grey family. At LRV 37 vs 11, Empire Gold will read as the brighter of the two — a 26-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. The tonal difference — Empire Gold's warm character against Rain Cloud's cool — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 46.2, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Empire Gold vs Rain Cloud in Real Spaces

2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Empire Gold and Rain Cloud in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.

Home Office

In a home office, wall color sits in your peripheral vision for hours at a time, so temperature and undertone matter more than you might expect. The LRV gap is large enough that Empire Gold will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Rain Cloud would.

Empire GoldSherwin-Williams Empire Gold in a warm home office

@mybudgetrecipes

Rain CloudSherwin Williams Rain Cloud home office color review

@e.lynndesign

Front Door

Front doors are seen in isolation against the rest of the facade, which makes them a high-stakes surface where even subtle differences matter. Empire Gold returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

Empire Goldtraditional front door featuring Empire Gold by Sherwin-Williams

@mybudgetrecipes

Rain CloudSW Rain Cloud front door color

@stephaniefinucane

Color Details

Empire Gold
Sherwin-Williams · 0012
LRV37.3
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number0012
Undertone—
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessMedium
Rain Cloud
Sherwin-Williams · 9639
LRV11.4
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number9639
Undertone—
TemperatureCool
BrightnessDark

Empire Gold vs Rain Cloud Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Empire Gold on one side and Rain Cloud on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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.