Ocean Abyss vs Austere Gray
Where Ocean Abyss belongs to Behr's range, Austere Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Ocean Abyss reads as blue, while Austere Gray reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Austere Gray (LRV 51) reflects noticeably more light than Ocean Abyss (LRV 7), a difference of 44 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Ocean Abyss runs blue while Austere Gray is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 46.7, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Ocean Abyss vs Austere Gray in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Ocean Abyss and Austere Gray 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 Austere Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Ocean Abyss would.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Austere Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
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. Austere Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
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. Austere Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Austere Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
Color Details
Ocean Abyss vs Austere Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Ocean Abyss on one side and Austere Gray 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 Ocean Abyss comparisons
See how Ocean Abyss stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
