Barely There vs Spare White
Where Barely There belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Spare White is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Barely There belongs to the beige-greige family and Spare White to the greige-white family. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (78 vs 77), so they'll read as similarly Light in most lighting conditions. Barely There runs yellow while Spare White is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. At ΔE 1.2, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Barely There vs Spare White in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Barely There and Spare White 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.
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. Barely There brings more warmth to the space, while Spare White keeps things cooler and crisper.
Color Details
Barely There vs Spare White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Barely There on one side and Spare White 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 Barely There comparisons
See how Barely There stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 9-point LRV gap (78 vs 69) makes Barely There the marginally brighter of the two.
White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 78), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 52, Barely There is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 30, Barely There is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 60, Barely There is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 43, Barely There is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 4, Barely There is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (84 vs 78) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 78 vs 21, Barely There is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely There reads slightly lighter (LRV 78 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Barely There reads slightly lighter (LRV 78 vs 74), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Snowbound reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 78), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 78 vs 51, Barely There is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Barely There reads slightly lighter (LRV 78 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 78 vs 41, Barely There is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Barely There reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 31, Barely There is decisively the brighter choice.