Different Gold vs Dusty Heather
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Different Gold belongs to the beige family and Dusty Heather to the blue-grey family. Different Gold (LRV 32) reflects noticeably more light than Dusty Heather (LRV 28), a difference of 4 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Different Gold runs warm while Dusty Heather is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 53.7, 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 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Different Gold vs Dusty Heather in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Different Gold and Dusty Heather 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Different Gold gives the walls a little more lift.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Different Gold reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Different Gold reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Different Gold has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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. Different Gold reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Different Gold reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Different Gold has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Patio
Outside, paint color competes with sky, landscaping, and direct sun — all of which shift how both of these read compared to an indoor chip. Different Gold has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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. Different Gold reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The brightness difference is modest but present — Different Gold gives the walls a little more lift.
Color Details
Different Gold vs Dusty Heather Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Different Gold on one side and Dusty Heather 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 Different Gold comparisons
See how Different Gold stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 32), opening up a space where Different Gold encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 32, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 32 vs 6, Different Gold is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 32), opening up a space where Different Gold encloses it.
With LRVs of 32 and 30, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 52 vs 32, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 32), opening up a space where Different Gold encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 32, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (32 vs 27) makes Different Gold the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 32), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Different Gold reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 32, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 32 vs 13, Different Gold is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (44 vs 32) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 32), opening up a space where Different Gold encloses it.
Different Gold reads slightly lighter (LRV 32 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 32, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 32, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 32, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 32), opening up a space where Different Gold encloses it.
At LRV 32 vs 12, Different Gold is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 32 vs 8, Different Gold is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 32, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 41 vs 32), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 32 vs 12, Different Gold is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 32, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 32 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.