Carter Red vs Nocturnal Gray
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Hue-wise, Carter Red belongs to the pink-red family and Nocturnal Gray to the blue-grey family. Carter Red (LRV 24) reflects noticeably more light than Nocturnal Gray (LRV 14), a difference of 11 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Carter Red runs red while Nocturnal Gray is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 46.6, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Carter Red vs Nocturnal Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Carter Red and Nocturnal Gray 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 Carter Red will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Nocturnal Gray would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Carter Red reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Nocturnal Gray.
Color Details
Carter Red vs Nocturnal Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Carter Red on one side and Nocturnal Gray 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 Carter Red comparisons
See how Carter Red stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
