Essex Blue vs Naval
Where Essex Blue belongs to Behr's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. Essex Blue (LRV 56) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 51 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Essex Blue runs blue while Naval is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 55.5, 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 Naval in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Essex Blue and Naval 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 Essex Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval 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. Essex Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Essex Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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. Essex Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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. Essex Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Essex Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Color Details
Essex Blue vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Essex Blue on one side and Naval 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.
At LRV 83 vs 56, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 56), opening up a space where Essex Blue encloses it.
At LRV 56 vs 6, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Essex Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 56 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (56 vs 52) makes Essex Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 56), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 56), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 56 vs 27, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 56 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 56 vs 13, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 44, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 56), opening up a space where Essex Blue encloses it.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (66 vs 56) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 56, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 56, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 12, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 56, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Calamine reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 56), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 56 vs 12, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (56 vs 45) makes Essex Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 57 and 56, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 56), opening up a space where Essex Blue encloses it.