Tempe Star vs Truly Taupe
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Tempe Star belongs to the blue family and Truly Taupe to the greige-grey family. Truly Taupe (LRV 35) reflects noticeably more light than Tempe Star (LRV 11), a difference of 24 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Tempe Star runs cool while Truly Taupe is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 31.7, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Tempe Star vs Truly Taupe in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Tempe Star and Truly Taupe 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 Truly Taupe will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Tempe Star would.
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. Truly Taupe reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Tempe Star.
Color Details
Tempe Star vs Truly Taupe Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Tempe Star on one side and Truly Taupe 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.