Balboa Mist vs Taupe of the Morning
Balboa Mist (Benjamin Moore) and Taupe of the Morning (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. These are both beige-greiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige-greige to land. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 66 vs 65 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Where Balboa Mist leans red, Taupe of the Morning reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 2.2 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Balboa Mist vs Taupe of the Morning in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Balboa Mist and Taupe of the Morning are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Balboa Mist vs Taupe of the Morning Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa Mist on one side and Taupe of the Morning 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.