Smokestack Gray vs Coastal Blue
Smokestack Gray (Benjamin Moore) and Coastal Blue (Jotun) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 4-point LRV gap — 23 for Smokestack Gray vs 19 for Coastal Blue — means Smokestack Gray will open up a space more effectively. Where Smokestack Gray leans blue, Coastal Blue reads cool — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 2.0 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Smokestack Gray vs Coastal Blue in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Smokestack Gray and Coastal Blue are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Smokestack Gray reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Smokestack Gray has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Smokestack Gray vs Coastal Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smokestack Gray on one side and Coastal Blue 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 Smokestack Gray comparisons
See how Smokestack Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
