Barren Plain vs Crushed Ice
Where Barren Plain belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Crushed Ice is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the greige-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Crushed Ice (LRV 66) reflects noticeably more light than Barren Plain (LRV 62), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Barren Plain runs red while Crushed Ice is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. At ΔE 1.1, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Barren Plain vs Crushed Ice in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Barren Plain and Crushed Ice 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The brightness difference is modest but present — Crushed Ice gives the walls a little more lift.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Crushed Ice reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Crushed Ice reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Crushed Ice has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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. Crushed Ice reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Barren Plain vs Crushed Ice Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Barren Plain on one side and Crushed Ice 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 Barren Plain comparisons
See how Barren Plain stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
