Pitch Blue vs Naval
Pitch Blue (Farrow & Ball) and Naval (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 11-point LRV gap — 15 for Pitch Blue vs 4 for Naval — means Pitch Blue will open up a space more effectively. Both share a cool character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 23.5 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pitch Blue vs Naval in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pitch Blue 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Pitch Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Pitch Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Pitch Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Pitch Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Pitch Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Pitch Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Pitch Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. Pitch Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Pitch Blue vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pitch Blue 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 Pitch Blue comparisons
See how Pitch Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 15, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 15), opening up a space where Pitch Blue encloses it.
Pitch Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 15, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 15, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 15), opening up a space where Pitch Blue encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 15, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 15), opening up a space where Pitch Blue encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 15), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 15, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 15), opening up a space where Pitch Blue encloses it.
With LRVs of 15 and 13, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 15), opening up a space where Pitch Blue encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 15, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (21 vs 15) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 15), opening up a space where Pitch Blue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 15), opening up a space where Pitch Blue encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 15), opening up a space where Pitch Blue encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 15, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Pitch Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Pitch Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 15), opening up a space where Pitch Blue encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 15, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Pitch Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 15), opening up a space where Pitch Blue encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 15, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (15 vs 7) makes Pitch Blue the marginally brighter of the two.