Balboa Mist vs Balmy
Where Balboa Mist belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Balmy is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Balboa Mist belongs to the beige-greige family and Balmy to the blue family. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (66 vs 66), so they'll read as similarly Light in most lighting conditions. Balboa Mist runs red while Balmy is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 11.6, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Balboa Mist vs Balmy in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Balboa Mist and Balmy in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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 brings more warmth to the space, while Balmy keeps things cooler and crisper.
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 brings more warmth to the space, while Balmy keeps things cooler and crisper.
Color Details
Balboa Mist vs Balmy Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa Mist on one side and Balmy 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.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 66), opening up a space where Balboa Mist encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (69 vs 66) makes Ammonite the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 52, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 30, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (66 vs 60) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 43, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 4, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 66, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 21, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Shoji White reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 66), opening up a space where Balboa Mist encloses it.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
With LRVs of 68 and 66, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 66 vs 41, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 66 vs 25, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 31, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 7, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 24, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (66 vs 57) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
A 6-point LRV gap (72 vs 66) makes Just Walnut the marginally brighter of the two.