Victorian Mauve vs Imagine
Victorian Mauve (Benjamin Moore) and Imagine (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 48 vs 48 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Where Victorian Mauve leans red, Imagine reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 1.2 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Victorian Mauve vs Imagine in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Victorian Mauve and Imagine 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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Victorian Mauve vs Imagine Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Victorian Mauve on one side and Imagine 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 Victorian Mauve comparisons
See how Victorian Mauve stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 48), opening up a space where Victorian Mauve encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 48, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 48 vs 6, Victorian Mauve is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 48), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Victorian Mauve reflects far more light (LRV 48 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (52 vs 48) makes Mizzle the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 48), opening up a space where Victorian Mauve encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (58 vs 48) makes Accessible Beige the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 48 vs 27, Victorian Mauve is decisively the brighter choice.
Victorian Mauve reads slightly lighter (LRV 48 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Victorian Mauve reflects far more light (LRV 48 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (55 vs 48) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 48 vs 13, Victorian Mauve is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (48 vs 44) makes Victorian Mauve the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 48), opening up a space where Victorian Mauve encloses it.
Victorian Mauve reflects far more light (LRV 48 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 48, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 48, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 48, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 51 and 48, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 48 vs 12, Victorian Mauve is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 48 vs 8, Victorian Mauve is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 48, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Victorian Mauve reads slightly lighter (LRV 48 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 48 vs 12, Victorian Mauve is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 48 vs 45), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Victorian Mauve reflects far more light (LRV 48 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.