Mizzle vs Smoky Blue
Where Mizzle belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Smoky Blue is a Sherwin-Williams color. Mizzle reads as grey, while Smoky Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Mizzle (LRV 52) reflects noticeably more light than Smoky Blue (LRV 15), a difference of 37 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Mizzle runs warm while Smoky Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 36.5, 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 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Mizzle vs Smoky Blue in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Mizzle and Smoky Blue 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 Mizzle will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Smoky 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. Mizzle reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smoky Blue.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Mizzle reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smoky 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. Mizzle reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smoky 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. Mizzle reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smoky Blue.
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. Mizzle reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smoky Blue.
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 Mizzle will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Smoky Blue would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Mizzle reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smoky Blue.
Color Details
Mizzle vs Smoky Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mizzle on one side and Smoky Blue 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 Mizzle comparisons
See how Mizzle stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
