Mineral Alloy vs Solitude
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. These are both blue-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue-grey to land. Solitude (LRV 42) reflects noticeably more light than Mineral Alloy (LRV 28), a difference of 13 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean blue, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 11.9, 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.
Mineral Alloy vs Solitude in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Mineral Alloy and Solitude 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 Solitude will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Mineral Alloy would.
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. Solitude returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Solitude reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mineral Alloy.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Solitude reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mineral Alloy.
Color Details
Mineral Alloy vs Solitude Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mineral Alloy on one side and Solitude 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 Mineral Alloy comparisons
See how Mineral Alloy stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 28), opening up a space where Mineral Alloy encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 28, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Mineral Alloy reflects far more light (LRV 28 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 28, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 30 vs 28), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 28), opening up a space where Mineral Alloy encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 28, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 28), opening up a space where Mineral Alloy encloses it.
With LRVs of 28 and 27, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 43 vs 28, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 28 vs 4, Mineral Alloy is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 28), opening up a space where Mineral Alloy encloses it.
Mineral Alloy reflects far more light (LRV 28 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 28), opening up a space where Mineral Alloy encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 28, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (28 vs 21) makes Mineral Alloy the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 28), opening up a space where Mineral Alloy encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 28), opening up a space where Mineral Alloy encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 28), opening up a space where Mineral Alloy encloses it.
Mineral Alloy reflects far more light (LRV 28 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 28), opening up a space where Mineral Alloy encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 28, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 28, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (28 vs 25) makes Mineral Alloy the marginally brighter of the two.
Mineral Alloy reflects far more light (LRV 28 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 28), opening up a space where Mineral Alloy encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 28), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 28 vs 7, Mineral Alloy is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (28 vs 24) makes Mineral Alloy the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 28, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.