Essex Blue vs Balboa Mist
Where Essex Blue belongs to Behr's range, Balboa Mist is a Benjamin Moore color. Essex Blue reads as blue, while Balboa Mist reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Balboa Mist (LRV 66) reflects noticeably more light than Essex Blue (LRV 56), a difference of 10 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Essex Blue runs blue while Balboa Mist is decidedly red, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 17.4, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Essex Blue vs Balboa Mist in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Essex Blue 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
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 Balboa Mist will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Essex Blue 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. Balboa Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Essex Blue.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Balboa Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Essex Blue.
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. Balboa Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Essex Blue.
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. Balboa Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Essex Blue.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Balboa Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Essex Blue.
Color Details
Essex Blue vs Balboa Mist Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Essex Blue 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 Essex Blue comparisons
See how Essex Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
