Gardenia vs Naval
Gardenia is a Benjamin Moore color while Naval comes from Sherwin-Williams. Hue-wise, Gardenia belongs to the beige family and Naval to the blue family. At LRV 85 vs 4, Gardenia will read as the brighter of the two — a 81-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. The tonal difference — Gardenia's red character against Naval's cool — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 71.2, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Gardenia vs Naval in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Gardenia 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Gardenia returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Gardenia will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
Color Details
Gardenia vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gardenia 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 Gardenia comparisons
See how Gardenia stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 85 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 85 vs 58, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 27, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 85 vs 55, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 44, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 85 and 84, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 85 vs 66, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (85 vs 74) makes Gardenia the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 85 vs 12, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 68, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 12, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 85 vs 45, Gardenia is decisively the brighter choice.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.
Gardenia reflects far more light (LRV 85 vs 72), opening up a space where Just Walnut encloses it.