Balboa Mist vs Van Deusen Blue
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Balboa Mist reads as beige-greige, while Van Deusen Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Balboa Mist (LRV 66) reflects noticeably more light than Van Deusen Blue (LRV 12), a difference of 54 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Balboa Mist runs red while Van Deusen Blue is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 51.4, 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.
Balboa Mist vs Van Deusen Blue in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Balboa Mist and Van Deusen Blue 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 Balboa Mist will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Van Deusen Blue 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. Balboa Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Van Deusen Blue.
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. Balboa Mist 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. Balboa Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Van Deusen Blue.
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. Balboa Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Van Deusen Blue.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Balboa Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Van Deusen Blue.
Color Details
Balboa Mist vs Van Deusen Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa Mist on one side and Van Deusen Blue 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.
