Sparrow vs Balboa Mist
Sparrow (Behr) and Balboa Mist (Benjamin Moore) come from different manufacturers. Sparrow reads as grey, while Balboa Mist reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 22-point LRV gap — 66 for Balboa Mist vs 44 for Sparrow — means Balboa Mist will open up a space more effectively. Both share a red character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 14.6 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Sparrow vs Balboa Mist in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Sparrow 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 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Sparrow.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Balboa Mist returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Sparrow vs Balboa Mist Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sparrow 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 Sparrow comparisons
See how Sparrow stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
