Red Earth vs Decorous Amber
Red Earth (Farrow & Ball) and Decorous Amber (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Red Earth reads as pink-red, while Decorous Amber reads as beige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 5-point LRV gap — 28 for Red Earth vs 22 for Decorous Amber — means Red Earth will open up a space more effectively. Both share a warm character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. ΔE 9.6 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Red Earth vs Decorous Amber in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Red Earth and Decorous Amber 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Red Earth reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Red Earth has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The brightness difference is modest but present — Red Earth gives the walls a little more lift.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Red Earth has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Red Earth vs Decorous Amber Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Red Earth on one side and Decorous Amber 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 Red Earth comparisons
See how Red Earth stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 28, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 28), opening up a space where Red Earth encloses it.
With LRVs of 30 and 28, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 28), opening up a space where Red Earth encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 28, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 28 vs 27), so neither reads brighter in a room.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 28), opening up a space where Red Earth encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 28, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 28, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 28), opening up a space where Red Earth encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 28, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 28, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 28 vs 12, Red Earth is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 28 vs 8, Red Earth is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 28, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 28 vs 12, Red Earth is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 28, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 28), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.