Lichen vs Naval
Where Lichen belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. Lichen reads as greige-grey, while Naval reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Lichen (LRV 34) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 30 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Lichen runs warm while Naval is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 46.9, 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 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Lichen vs Naval in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Lichen 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 Lichen will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval 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. Lichen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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. Lichen 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. Lichen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Lichen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Lichen will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Lichen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Color Details
Lichen vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Lichen 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 Lichen comparisons
See how Lichen stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 34), opening up a space where Lichen encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 34, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (34 vs 30) makes Lichen the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 34, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 34), opening up a space where Lichen encloses it.
Lichen reads slightly lighter (LRV 34 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 9-point LRV gap (43 vs 34) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 34), opening up a space where Lichen encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 34), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 34, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 34), opening up a space where Lichen encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 34), opening up a space where Lichen encloses it.
Lichen reflects far more light (LRV 34 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 34), opening up a space where Lichen encloses it.
Lichen reflects far more light (LRV 34 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 34), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 3-point LRV gap (34 vs 31) makes Lichen the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (34 vs 24) makes Lichen the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 34, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 34, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.