Blue Nova vs Naval
Where Blue Nova belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Blue Nova (LRV 17) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 13 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Blue Nova runs blue while Naval is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 24.1, 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 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Blue Nova vs Naval in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Blue Nova and Naval in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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 LRV gap is large enough that Blue Nova will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Blue Nova reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Blue Nova reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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. Blue Nova reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Blue Nova reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Nova will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Blue Nova reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Color Details
Blue Nova vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Nova on one side and Naval 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 Blue Nova comparisons
See how Blue Nova stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 17, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Nova encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Nova encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Nova encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 17, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (27 vs 17) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Nova encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 17, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 17, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Nova encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 17, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 17, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Blue Nova the marginally brighter of the two.
A 9-point LRV gap (17 vs 8) makes Blue Nova the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 17, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Blue Nova the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 17, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Nova encloses it.
Blue Nova reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.