Dragonfly vs Naval
Where Dragonfly belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. Dragonfly (LRV 12) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 8 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Dragonfly runs blue while Naval is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 20.0, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Dragonfly vs Naval in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Dragonfly 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Dragonfly gives the walls a little more lift.
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. Dragonfly has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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. Dragonfly reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Dragonfly vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Dragonfly 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 Dragonfly comparisons
See how Dragonfly stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 12, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 12), opening up a space where Dragonfly encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where Dragonfly encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 12), opening up a space where Dragonfly encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 12, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 12), opening up a space where Dragonfly encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 12, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 12, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 12), opening up a space where Dragonfly encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 12, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 12, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 12, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 12), opening up a space where Dragonfly encloses it.
Dragonfly reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reflects far more light (LRV 24 vs 12), opening up a space where Dragonfly encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 12), opening up a space where Dragonfly encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 12), opening up a space where Dragonfly encloses it.