Balboa Mist vs Searching Blue
Where Balboa Mist belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Searching Blue is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Balboa Mist belongs to the beige-greige family and Searching Blue to the blue family. Balboa Mist (LRV 66) reflects noticeably more light than Searching Blue (LRV 21), a difference of 45 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Balboa Mist runs red while Searching Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 39.8, 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 Searching Blue in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Balboa Mist and Searching Blue in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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 Searching Blue.
Color Details
Balboa Mist vs Searching Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa Mist on one side and Searching 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.
