Tidewater vs Naval
Where Tidewater belongs to Behr's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Tidewater (LRV 69) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 64 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Tidewater runs green and blue while Naval is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 64.4, 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.
Tidewater vs Naval in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Tidewater 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 Tidewater 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. Tidewater 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. Tidewater 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. Tidewater 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. Tidewater 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. Tidewater reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Color Details
Tidewater vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Tidewater 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 Tidewater comparisons
See how Tidewater stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 69, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Tidewater reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Tidewater reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Tidewater reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (69 vs 58) makes Tidewater the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 69 vs 27, Tidewater is decisively the brighter choice.
Tidewater reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 55, Tidewater is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 69 vs 44, Tidewater is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 69), opening up a space where Tidewater encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (69 vs 66) makes Tidewater the marginally brighter of the two.
A 5-point LRV gap (74 vs 69) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 69 vs 12, Tidewater is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 69 vs 68), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 69 vs 12, Tidewater is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 69 vs 45, Tidewater is decisively the brighter choice.
Tidewater reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Tidewater reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Tidewater reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Tidewater reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Just Walnut reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 69), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.