Interface Tan vs Riverway
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Interface Tan belongs to the beige-greige family and Riverway to the blue-grey family. Interface Tan (LRV 40) reflects noticeably more light than Riverway (LRV 16), a difference of 24 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Interface Tan runs warm while Riverway is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 32.2, 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 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Interface Tan vs Riverway in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Interface Tan and Riverway 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 Interface Tan will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Riverway would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Interface Tan reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Riverway.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Interface Tan reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Riverway.
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. Interface Tan returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Interface Tan reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Riverway.
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. Interface Tan reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Riverway.
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. Interface Tan reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Riverway.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Interface Tan will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Riverway would.
Color Details
Interface Tan vs Riverway Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Interface Tan on one side and Riverway 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 Interface Tan comparisons
See how Interface Tan stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 40, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 40), opening up a space where Interface Tan encloses it.
Interface Tan reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 40, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (40 vs 30) makes Interface Tan the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 40, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 40), opening up a space where Interface Tan encloses it.
Interface Tan reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (43 vs 40) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 40 vs 4, Interface Tan is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 40), opening up a space where Interface Tan encloses it.
Interface Tan reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 40, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 21, Interface Tan is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 40), opening up a space where Interface Tan encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 40), opening up a space where Interface Tan encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 40), opening up a space where Interface Tan encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (51 vs 40) makes Pigeon the marginally brighter of the two.
Interface Tan reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Interface Tan reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 40), opening up a space where Interface Tan encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 41 vs 40), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Interface Tan reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 8-point LRV gap (40 vs 31) makes Interface Tan the marginally brighter of the two.