Hamilton Blue vs Pure White
Where Hamilton Blue belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Pure White is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hamilton Blue reads as blue-grey, while Pure White reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than Hamilton Blue (LRV 18), a difference of 66 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Hamilton Blue runs blue while Pure White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 46.7, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Hamilton Blue vs Pure White in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Hamilton Blue and Pure White 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 Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Hamilton Blue would.
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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hamilton Blue.
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 Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Hamilton Blue would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Hamilton Blue.
Color Details
Hamilton Blue vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Hamilton Blue on one side and Pure White 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 Hamilton Blue comparisons
See how Hamilton Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 18), opening up a space where Hamilton Blue encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 18, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 18 vs 6, Hamilton Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 18), opening up a space where Hamilton Blue encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 18), opening up a space where Hamilton Blue encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 18, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 18), opening up a space where Hamilton Blue encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 18, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (27 vs 18) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 18), opening up a space where Hamilton Blue encloses it.
Hamilton Blue reflects far more light (LRV 18 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 18, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (18 vs 13) makes Hamilton Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 18, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 18), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 18, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 18, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 18, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 18), opening up a space where Hamilton Blue encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (18 vs 12) makes Hamilton Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (18 vs 8) makes Hamilton Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 18, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 18), opening up a space where Hamilton Blue encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (18 vs 12) makes Hamilton Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 18, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 18), opening up a space where Hamilton Blue encloses it.
Hamilton Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 18 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.