Malabar vs Shiitake
Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. Hue-wise, Malabar belongs to the beige family and Shiitake to the beige-greige family. With LRVs of 53 and 51, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. They share a warm quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. At ΔE 3.1, the difference is perceptible but not dramatic — the two can work harmoniously in the same space. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Malabar vs Shiitake in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Malabar and Shiitake 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. 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
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. 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.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. 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.
Color Details
Malabar vs Shiitake Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Malabar on one side and Shiitake 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 Malabar comparisons
See how Malabar stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 53, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 53 and 52, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Malabar reflects far more light (LRV 53 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 53), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 5-point LRV gap (58 vs 53) makes Accessible Beige the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 53 vs 27, Malabar is decisively the brighter choice.
Malabar reads slightly lighter (LRV 53 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 55 vs 53), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 9-point LRV gap (53 vs 44) makes Malabar the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 53), opening up a space where Malabar encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 53, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 53, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 53 vs 12, Malabar is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 53 vs 8, Malabar is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 53, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 53 vs 12, Malabar is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (53 vs 45) makes Malabar the marginally brighter of the two.
Malabar reflects far more light (LRV 53 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.