Distant Gray vs Santa Monica Blue
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Hue-wise, Distant Gray belongs to the green-grey family and Santa Monica Blue to the blue family. Distant Gray (LRV 88) reflects noticeably more light than Santa Monica Blue (LRV 16), a difference of 72 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Distant Gray runs green while Santa Monica Blue is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 57.1, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Distant Gray vs Santa Monica Blue in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Distant Gray and Santa Monica Blue in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Distant Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Santa Monica Blue.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Distant Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Santa Monica Blue.
Color Details
Distant Gray vs Santa Monica Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Distant Gray on one side and Santa Monica Blue 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 Distant Gray comparisons
See how Distant Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
