Red Earth vs Naval
Where Red Earth belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Red Earth belongs to the pink-red family and Naval to the blue family. Red Earth (LRV 28) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 23 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Red Earth runs warm while Naval is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 55.5, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Red Earth vs Naval in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Red Earth 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 Red Earth 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. Red Earth 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. Red Earth returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Red Earth vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Red Earth 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 Red Earth comparisons
See how Red Earth stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
