Colony Buff vs Pure White
Colony Buff and Pure White come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Hue-wise, Colony Buff belongs to the beige family and Pure White to the beige-greige family. The 25-point LRV gap — 84 for Pure White vs 59 for Colony Buff — means Pure White 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. A ΔE of 18.7 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Colony Buff vs Pure White in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Colony Buff and Pure White 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
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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Colony Buff.
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. Pure White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Colony Buff vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Colony Buff on one side and Pure White 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 Colony Buff comparisons
See how Colony Buff stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 59), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 83 vs 59, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 6, Colony Buff is decisively the brighter choice.
Colony Buff reads slightly lighter (LRV 59 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Colony Buff reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (59 vs 52) makes Colony Buff the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 60 and 59, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 59 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 59 vs 27, Colony Buff is decisively the brighter choice.
Colony Buff reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Colony Buff reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (59 vs 55) makes Colony Buff the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 59 vs 13, Colony Buff is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 44, Colony Buff is decisively the brighter choice.
Colony Buff reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (66 vs 59) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 59, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 59, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Colony Buff reads slightly lighter (LRV 59 vs 51), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 59 vs 12, Colony Buff is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 8, Colony Buff is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (68 vs 59) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
Colony Buff reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 59 vs 12, Colony Buff is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 45, Colony Buff is decisively the brighter choice.
Colony Buff reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Colony Buff reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.