Mullen Pink

There is no reading this as a background color. In the Vista Paint lineup this is 1101.

At chroma 56.5 it will not sit quietly next to another strong color. On one wall of an otherwise neutral room, this reads as a deliberate choice rather than an overwhelming one.

Warm bulbs make it warmer still; daylight bulbs cool it back toward neutral. 18.0 on the light-reflectance scale is unremarkable on its own; the chroma is what actually drives how this color behaves.

If the room already has blues and cool greys in the floor, a rug, or the furniture, this color will fight it rather than sit well beside it - the two sit at opposite ends of the color spectrum, which is exactly why they clash instead of blend.

Wood tones next to this read darker and richer than they do against a paler wall; it is one of the more dependable effects of putting a light-absorbing color next to anything reflective. A natural scheme here moves in three clear steps: this color on the main wall, a noticeably lighter mid-tone for a second wall or built-in, and a near-white on the ceiling. Each jump should be obvious at a glance, not something you have to squint to tell apart (roughly 18.0, 52 and 85 on the light-reflectance scale, for reference).

If a second wall color is wanted in the same room, Vista Paint Zircon Ice keeps the jump obvious rather than muddy (roughly 56 LRV points from this one). A flatter finish keeps this much color from creating harsh reflections.

Switching brands, PPG Burnt Red (1188-7) is the closest equivalent at delta-E 1.65, near enough for most rooms. This is a relatively uncrowded spot in the spectrum - just 1 color from other brands come this close.

It is lighter than 16 percent of the Vista Paint range. Among reds it is one of the strongest: only 4 percent of them carry more colour. Vista Paint lists it in the C codes, alongside 1,421 other colors.