Vardo vs Freshwater
Where Vardo belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Freshwater is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Freshwater (LRV 32) reflects noticeably more light than Vardo (LRV 15), a difference of 17 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean cool, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 16.1, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Vardo vs Freshwater in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Vardo and Freshwater 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 Freshwater will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Vardo 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. Freshwater reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Vardo.
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. Freshwater returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Freshwater reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Vardo.
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. Freshwater reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Vardo.
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 Freshwater will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Vardo would.
Color Details
Vardo vs Freshwater Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Vardo on one side and Freshwater 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 Vardo comparisons
See how Vardo stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 15, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 15, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (27 vs 15) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 15, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 15, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 15, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 15, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (15 vs 12) makes Vardo the marginally brighter of the two.
A 7-point LRV gap (15 vs 8) makes Vardo the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 15, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (15 vs 12) makes Vardo the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 15, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 15), opening up a space where Vardo encloses it.