Open Water vs Gale Force
Open Water is a Cloverdale Paint color while Gale Force comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. With LRVs of 6 and 6, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 0.9, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Open Water vs Gale Force in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Open Water and Gale Force 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Open Water vs Gale Force Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Open Water on one side and Gale Force 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 Open Water comparisons
See how Open Water stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
