Balboa Mist vs Blonde
Where Balboa Mist belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Blonde is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Balboa Mist belongs to the beige-greige family and Blonde to the beige family. Balboa Mist (LRV 66) reflects noticeably more light than Blonde (LRV 54), a difference of 12 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Balboa Mist runs red while Blonde is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 22.4, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Balboa Mist vs Blonde in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Balboa Mist and Blonde 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 Blonde would.
Color Details
Balboa Mist vs Blonde Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa Mist on one side and Blonde 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.
