Balboa Mist vs Herbal Wash
Where Balboa Mist belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Herbal Wash is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the beige-greige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Balboa Mist (LRV 66) reflects noticeably more light than Herbal Wash (LRV 33), a difference of 33 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Balboa Mist runs red while Herbal Wash is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 23.3, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Balboa Mist vs Herbal Wash in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Balboa Mist and Herbal Wash in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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 Herbal Wash.
Color Details
Balboa Mist vs Herbal Wash Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa Mist on one side and Herbal Wash 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.
