Mushroom vs Shiitake: Depth, Materials and the Better Fit

Mushroom and Shiitake: the documented difference

Mushroom has an LRV of 57; Sherwin-Williams Shiitake SW-9173 is 51. The difference is 6 points, with Mushroom returning more light under the reference measurement. Choose by the material relationship as well as the number. Mushroom SW-9587 is much lighter than Moth Wing, though its name alone cannot settle whether a room will read it as beige or taupe. Shiitake is a warm neutral with a stony gray character.

The choice beside travertine and undyed wool

Travertine and undyed wool give a material-led way to assess the authentic sample without inventing an undertone from the screen chip.

Set up both candidates with travertine and undyed wool. Use equal-sized boards with the intended finishes and place them in the same orientation. Do not put one directly beside a window and leave the other in shadow. A difference that follows the position rather than the board is a lighting observation, not evidence that the formula changed.

What the comparison can—and cannot—settle

For a second point of reference, Moth Wing is recorded at LRV 29.

Compare the actual sample to the stone's background color before labeling it taupe, beige or gray in your scheme. Assess Mushroom and Shiitake alone as well as side by side. The unchosen board will not remain in the finished room, and a preference created only by that neighbor may not survive its removal. Before ordering samples, compare room-planning features in the paint color visualizer roundup.