Backwater vs Steel Symphony 1
Where Backwater belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Steel Symphony 1 is a Dulux color. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (18 vs 17), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. The ΔE 4.5 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Backwater vs Steel Symphony 1 in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Backwater and Steel Symphony 1 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Backwater vs Steel Symphony 1 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Backwater on one side and Steel Symphony 1 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 Backwater comparisons
See how Backwater stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 18), opening up a space where Backwater encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 18, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 18, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 18, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 18), opening up a space where Backwater encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 18), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 18, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 18), opening up a space where Backwater encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 18), opening up a space where Backwater encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 18, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 18), opening up a space where Backwater encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 18), opening up a space where Backwater encloses it.
Backwater reads slightly lighter (LRV 18 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Backwater reads slightly lighter (LRV 18 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 18), opening up a space where Backwater encloses it.
Backwater reads slightly lighter (LRV 18 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 18), opening up a space where Backwater encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 18, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.