Ashland Slate vs Cheating Heart

Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Ashland Slate (LRV 16) reflects noticeably more light than Cheating Heart (LRV 9), a difference of 7 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean blue, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Ashland Slate vs Cheating Heart in Real Spaces

4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Ashland Slate and Cheating Heart in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.

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. Ashland Slate reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.

Ashland SlateBm Ashland Slate Bathroom

@fredi_thepainter

Cheating HeartBenjamin Moore Cheating Heart bathroom paint

@harmonyhaus

Home Office

The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Ashland Slate reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.

Ashland Slate1608 Home Office

@mcleod9design

Cheating HeartCheating Heart home office color

@yesterdaisy

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. Ashland Slate reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.

Ashland SlateExterior

@jillcordnerdesign

Cheating HeartCheating Heart exterior paint

@threelittledogs

Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Ashland Slate reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.

Ashland SlateKitchen Cabinets

@distinctive_kb

Cheating HeartCheating Heart kitchen cabinets paint review

@dianegordondesign

Color Details

Ashland Slate
Benjamin Moore · 1608
Hex#696D72
LRV16.1
BrandBenjamin Moore
Number1608
UndertoneBlue
TemperatureNeutral
BrightnessDark
Cheating Heart
Benjamin Moore · 1617
Hex#4B4D4F
LRV8.8
BrandBenjamin Moore
Number1617
UndertoneBlue
TemperatureNeutral
BrightnessDark

Ashland Slate vs Cheating Heart Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Ashland Slate on one side and Cheating Heart on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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 Ashland Slate comparisons

See how Ashland Slate stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

White Dove
Ashland Slate
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
White Dove
LRV 83

White Dove is the lighter choice

Ammonite
Ashland Slate
Ammonite
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

Ammonite is the lighter choice

Iron Ore
Ashland Slate
Iron Ore
Sherwin-Williams
Iron Ore
LRV 6

Ashland Slate reads slightly lighter

Purbeck Stone
Ashland Slate
Purbeck Stone
Farrow & Ball
Purbeck Stone
LRV 52

Purbeck Stone is the lighter choice

Evergreen Fog
Ashland Slate
Evergreen Fog
Sherwin-Williams
Evergreen Fog
LRV 30

Evergreen Fog reads noticeably lighter

Mizzle
Ashland Slate
Mizzle
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

Mizzle is the lighter choice

Agreeable Gray
Ashland Slate
Agreeable Gray
Sherwin-Williams
Agreeable Gray
LRV 60

Agreeable Gray is the lighter choice

Denim Drift
Ashland Slate
Denim Drift
Dulux
Denim Drift
LRV 27

Denim Drift reads slightly lighter

Tranquil Dawn
Ashland Slate
Tranquil Dawn
Dulux
Tranquil Dawn
LRV 55

Tranquil Dawn is the lighter choice

Balboa Mist
Ashland Slate
Balboa Mist
Benjamin Moore
Balboa Mist
LRV 66

Balboa Mist is the lighter choice

Vintage Vogue
Ashland Slate
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Vintage Vogue
LRV 12

Ashland Slate reads slightly lighter

Pale Green
Ashland Slate
Pale Green
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

Pale Green reads noticeably lighter

Pine Needle
Ashland Slate
Pine Needle
Dulux
Pine Needle
LRV 7

Ashland Slate reads slightly lighter

Cement grey
Ashland Slate
Cement grey
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

Cement grey reads slightly lighter

Black grey
Ashland Slate
Black grey
RAL ClassicClassic
Black grey
LRV 6

Ashland Slate reads slightly lighter

Piazza
Ashland Slate
Piazza
Tikkurila
Piazza
LRV 65

Piazza is the lighter choice

Humble Yellow
Ashland Slate
Humble Yellow
Jotun
Humble Yellow
LRV 57

Humble Yellow is the lighter choice

Windmill Lane
Ashland Slate
Windmill Lane
Little Greene
Windmill Lane
LRV 31

Windmill Lane reads noticeably lighter

Senses
Ashland Slate
Senses
Jotun
Senses
LRV 41

Senses is the lighter choice

Lamp Black
Ashland Slate
Lamp Black
Little Greene
Lamp Black
LRV 3

Ashland Slate reads noticeably lighter

Washed Linen
Ashland Slate
Washed Linen
Jotun
Washed Linen
LRV 55

Washed Linen is the lighter choice

Tea with Florence
Ashland Slate
Tea with Florence
Little Greene
Tea with Florence
LRV 18

Nearly identical in tone

Thames Fog
Ashland Slate
Thames Fog
Valspar
Thames Fog
LRV 27

Thames Fog reads slightly lighter

Ocean Abyss
Ashland Slate
Ocean Abyss
Behr
Ocean Abyss
LRV 7

Ashland Slate reads slightly lighter

Classic Silver
Ashland Slate
Classic Silver
Behr
Classic Silver
LRV 48

Classic Silver is the lighter choice

Teton Blue
Ashland Slate
Teton Blue
Behr
Teton Blue
LRV 31

Teton Blue reads noticeably lighter

RAL 110-2
Ashland Slate
RAL 110-2
RAL EffectEffect
RAL 110-2
LRV 72

RAL 110-2 is the lighter choice

RAL 110-1
Ashland Slate
RAL 110-1
RAL EffectEffect
RAL 110-1
LRV 80

RAL 110-1 is the lighter choice

Paper
Ashland Slate
Paper
Tikkurila
Paper
LRV 88

Paper is the lighter choice

Passageway
Ashland Slate
Passageway
Valspar
Passageway
LRV 14

Nearly identical in tone