Tidewater vs Balboa Mist
Where Tidewater belongs to Behr's range, Balboa Mist is a Benjamin Moore color. Hue-wise, Tidewater belongs to the blue family and Balboa Mist to the beige-greige family. Tidewater (LRV 69) reflects noticeably more light than Balboa Mist (LRV 66), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Tidewater runs green and blue while Balboa Mist is decidedly red, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 13.3, 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.
Tidewater vs Balboa Mist in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Tidewater 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Tidewater gives the walls a little more lift.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Tidewater reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Tidewater reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Tidewater reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Tidewater reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Tidewater reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Tidewater vs Balboa Mist Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Tidewater 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 Tidewater comparisons
See how Tidewater stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
