Broccoli Brown vs Naval
Where Broccoli Brown belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Broccoli Brown belongs to the greige-grey family and Naval to the blue family. Broccoli Brown (LRV 18) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 14 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Broccoli Brown runs warm while Naval is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 33.7, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Broccoli Brown vs Naval in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Broccoli Brown and Naval 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 Broccoli Brown will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
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. Broccoli Brown returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Broccoli Brown reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Color Details
Broccoli Brown vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Broccoli Brown on one side and Naval 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 Broccoli Brown comparisons
See how Broccoli Brown stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 18), opening up a space where Broccoli Brown encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 18, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 18 vs 6, Broccoli Brown is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 18), opening up a space where Broccoli Brown encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 18), opening up a space where Broccoli Brown encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 18, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 18), opening up a space where Broccoli Brown encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 18, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (27 vs 18) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 18), opening up a space where Broccoli Brown encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 18, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (18 vs 13) makes Broccoli Brown the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 18, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 18), opening up a space where Broccoli Brown encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 18), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 18, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 18, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 18, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 18), opening up a space where Broccoli Brown encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (18 vs 12) makes Broccoli Brown the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (18 vs 8) makes Broccoli Brown the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 18, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 18), opening up a space where Broccoli Brown encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (18 vs 12) makes Broccoli Brown the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 18, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 18), opening up a space where Broccoli Brown encloses it.
Broccoli Brown reads slightly lighter (LRV 18 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.