Balboa Mist vs Cloud Nine
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Balboa Mist reads as beige-greige, while Cloud Nine reads as yellow — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Cloud Nine (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than Balboa Mist (LRV 66), a difference of 18 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Balboa Mist runs red while Cloud Nine is decidedly yellow, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. The ΔE 8.6 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Balboa Mist vs Cloud Nine in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Balboa Mist and Cloud Nine 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
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 Cloud Nine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Balboa Mist would.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Cloud Nine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Cloud Nine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Balboa Mist.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Cloud Nine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Balboa Mist.
Color Details
Balboa Mist vs Cloud Nine Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa Mist on one side and Cloud Nine 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 Balboa Mist comparisons
See how Balboa Mist stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
