Earl Blue vs Shoji White
Where Earl Blue belongs to Dulux's range, Shoji White is a Sherwin-Williams color. Earl Blue reads as blue-grey, while Shoji White reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Shoji White (LRV 74) reflects noticeably more light than Earl Blue (LRV 41), a difference of 33 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Earl Blue runs cool while Shoji White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 23.0, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Earl Blue vs Shoji White in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Earl Blue and Shoji White 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 Shoji White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Earl Blue would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Shoji White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Shoji White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Shoji White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Shoji White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Shoji White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
Color Details
Earl Blue vs Shoji White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Earl Blue on one side and Shoji White 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 Earl Blue comparisons
See how Earl Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
