Tanner's Brown vs Naval
Where Tanner's Brown belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. Tanner's Brown reads as grey, while Naval reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Tanner's Brown (LRV 7) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Tanner's Brown runs neutral while Naval is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 14.1, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Tanner's Brown vs Naval in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Tanner's Brown 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 temperature contrast between Naval and Tanner's Brown is what sets these apart most in this context.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Naval brings more warmth to the space, while Tanner's Brown keeps things cooler and crisper.
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. Naval brings more warmth to the space, while Tanner's Brown keeps things cooler and crisper.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The temperature contrast between Naval and Tanner's Brown is what sets these apart most in this context.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Naval brings more warmth to the space, while Tanner's Brown keeps things cooler and crisper.
Color Details
Tanner's Brown vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Tanner's Brown 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 Tanner's Brown comparisons
See how Tanner's Brown stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 7), opening up a space where Tanner's Brown encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 7, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 7 vs 6), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 7), opening up a space where Tanner's Brown encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 7), opening up a space where Tanner's Brown encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 7, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 7), opening up a space where Tanner's Brown encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 7, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 7, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 7), opening up a space where Tanner's Brown encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 7, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (13 vs 7) makes Bancha the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 7, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 7), opening up a space where Tanner's Brown encloses it.
Artichoke reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 7), opening up a space where Tanner's Brown encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 7, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 7, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 7, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 7), opening up a space where Tanner's Brown encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (12 vs 7) makes Pewter Green the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 8 vs 7), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 7, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 7), opening up a space where Tanner's Brown encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (12 vs 7) makes Vintage Vogue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 7, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 7), opening up a space where Tanner's Brown encloses it.
With LRVs of 7 and 7, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.