Pointing vs Naval
Where Pointing belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Pointing belongs to the beige family and Naval to the blue family. Pointing (LRV 88) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 84 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Pointing runs warm while Naval is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 72.5, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pointing vs Naval in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pointing 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 Pointing 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. Pointing reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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. Pointing reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Color Details
Pointing vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pointing 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 Pointing comparisons
See how Pointing stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
