Toasty Gray vs Shade-Grown
Toasty Gray is a Behr color while Shade-Grown comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. At LRV 61 vs 8, Toasty Gray will read as the brighter of the two — a 53-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. The tonal difference — Toasty Gray's red character against Shade-Grown's neutral — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 3.6, the difference is perceptible but not dramatic — the two can work harmoniously in the same space. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Toasty Gray vs Shade-Grown in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Toasty Gray and Shade-Grown are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Toasty Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Toasty Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Shade-Grown would.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Toasty Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Shade-Grown would.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Toasty Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Shade-Grown would.
Color Details
Toasty Gray vs Shade-Grown Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Toasty Gray on one side and Shade-Grown 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 Toasty Gray comparisons
See how Toasty Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 8-point LRV gap (69 vs 61) makes Ammonite the marginally brighter of the two.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 61), opening up a space where Toasty Gray encloses it.
Toasty Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (61 vs 52) makes Toasty Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 61 vs 30, Toasty Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Toasty Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 61 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 61 vs 60), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Toasty Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 61 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Toasty Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 61 vs 43, Toasty Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Toasty Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 61 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Toasty Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Toasty Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 61, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 61 vs 21, Toasty Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 61), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 61), opening up a space where Toasty Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 61), opening up a space where Toasty Gray encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (61 vs 51) makes Toasty Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Toasty Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Toasty Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 61), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 61 vs 41, Toasty Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Toasty Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Toasty Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 61 vs 31, Toasty Gray is decisively the brighter choice.