Balboa vs Balboa Mist
Balboa (Behr) and Balboa Mist (Benjamin Moore) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Balboa belongs to the blue family and Balboa Mist to the beige-greige family. The 7-point LRV gap — 66 for Balboa Mist vs 58 for Balboa — means Balboa Mist will open up a space more effectively. Where Balboa leans blue, Balboa Mist reads red — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 16.6 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Balboa vs Balboa Mist in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Balboa and Balboa Mist 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Balboa Mist has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Balboa Mist has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Balboa Mist has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Balboa Mist has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. Balboa Mist has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Balboa vs Balboa Mist Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa on one side and Balboa Mist 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 Balboa comparisons
See how Balboa stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 58, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Balboa reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
With LRVs of 60 and 58, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 58 vs 27, Balboa is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (58 vs 55) makes Balboa the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 44, Balboa is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 58), opening up a space where Balboa encloses it.
At LRV 74 vs 58, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Balboa is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (68 vs 58) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Balboa is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 45, Balboa is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Balboa reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Balboa reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 58 and 57, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 58), opening up a space where Balboa encloses it.