Macadamia vs Urban Putty
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Macadamia reads as beige, while Urban Putty reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Urban Putty (LRV 54) reflects noticeably more light than Macadamia (LRV 49), a difference of 5 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. The ΔE 5.5 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Macadamia vs Urban Putty in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Macadamia and Urban Putty 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
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 brightness difference is modest but present — Urban Putty gives the walls a little more lift.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Urban Putty has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Urban Putty reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Macadamia vs Urban Putty Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Macadamia on one side and Urban Putty 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 Macadamia comparisons
See how Macadamia stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 49, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 52 and 49, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Macadamia reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 49), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 9-point LRV gap (58 vs 49) makes Accessible Beige the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 49 vs 27, Macadamia is decisively the brighter choice.
Macadamia reads slightly lighter (LRV 49 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (55 vs 49) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
A 5-point LRV gap (49 vs 44) makes Macadamia the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 49), opening up a space where Macadamia encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 49, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 49, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 12, Macadamia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 49, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 12, Macadamia is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (49 vs 45) makes Macadamia the marginally brighter of the two.
Macadamia reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Macadamia reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Macadamia reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 57 vs 49), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.