Pure White vs Rainwashed
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Pure White belongs to the beige-greige family and Rainwashed to the green-grey family. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than Rainwashed (LRV 59), a difference of 25 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Pure White runs warm while Rainwashed is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 12.8, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pure White vs Rainwashed in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pure White and Rainwashed 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
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 LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Rainwashed would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rainwashed.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rainwashed.
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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rainwashed.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rainwashed.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rainwashed.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Rainwashed would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rainwashed.
Color Details
Pure White vs Rainwashed Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pure White on one side and Rainwashed 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 Pure White comparisons
See how Pure White stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
