Heron Plume vs Sanctuary
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. These are both beige-greiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige-greige to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (75 vs 76), so they'll read as similarly Light in most lighting conditions. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. At ΔE 0.4, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Heron Plume vs Sanctuary in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Heron Plume and Sanctuary 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
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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Heron Plume vs Sanctuary Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Heron Plume on one side and Sanctuary 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 Heron Plume comparisons
See how Heron Plume stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Heron Plume reads slightly lighter (LRV 75 vs 69), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 8-point LRV gap (83 vs 75) makes White Dove the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 75 vs 6, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
Heron Plume reflects far more light (LRV 75 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Heron Plume reflects far more light (LRV 75 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 75 vs 52, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
Heron Plume reflects far more light (LRV 75 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 75 vs 58, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 75 vs 27, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
Heron Plume reflects far more light (LRV 75 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Heron Plume reflects far more light (LRV 75 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 75 vs 55, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 75 vs 13, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 75 vs 44, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 75), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Heron Plume reflects far more light (LRV 75 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (75 vs 66) makes Heron Plume the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 75 vs 74), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 7-point LRV gap (83 vs 75) makes Snowbound the marginally brighter of the two.
Heron Plume reflects far more light (LRV 75 vs 51), opening up a space where Pigeon encloses it.
At LRV 75 vs 12, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 75 vs 8, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (75 vs 68) makes Heron Plume the marginally brighter of the two.
Heron Plume reflects far more light (LRV 75 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 75 vs 12, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 75 vs 45, Heron Plume is decisively the brighter choice.
Heron Plume reflects far more light (LRV 75 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.