Poolside Blue vs Agreeable Gray
Where Poolside Blue belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Agreeable Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Poolside Blue belongs to the blue family and Agreeable Gray to the greige-grey family. Agreeable Gray (LRV 60) reflects noticeably more light than Poolside Blue (LRV 40), a difference of 21 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Poolside Blue runs blue while Agreeable Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 42.9, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Poolside Blue vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Poolside Blue and Agreeable Gray 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 Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Poolside Blue would.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Poolside Blue.
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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Poolside 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 Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Poolside Blue would.
Color Details
Poolside Blue vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Poolside Blue on one side and Agreeable Gray 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 Poolside Blue comparisons
See how Poolside Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 40, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 40), opening up a space where Poolside Blue encloses it.
Poolside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 40, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (40 vs 30) makes Poolside Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 40), opening up a space where Poolside Blue encloses it.
Poolside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (43 vs 40) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 40 vs 4, Poolside Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 40), opening up a space where Poolside Blue encloses it.
Poolside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 40, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 21, Poolside Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 40), opening up a space where Poolside Blue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 40), opening up a space where Poolside Blue encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 40), opening up a space where Poolside Blue encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (51 vs 40) makes Pigeon the marginally brighter of the two.
Poolside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Poolside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 40), opening up a space where Poolside Blue encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 41 vs 40), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Poolside Blue reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 9-point LRV gap (40 vs 31) makes Poolside Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 40 vs 7, Poolside Blue is decisively the brighter choice.