Balboa Mist vs Sycamore Tan
Where Balboa Mist belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Sycamore Tan is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both beige-greiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige-greige to land. Balboa Mist (LRV 66) reflects noticeably more light than Sycamore Tan (LRV 27), a difference of 39 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Balboa Mist runs red while Sycamore Tan is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 28.1, 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 Sycamore Tan in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Balboa Mist and Sycamore Tan in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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 Sycamore Tan.
Color Details
Balboa Mist vs Sycamore Tan Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa Mist on one side and Sycamore Tan 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.
