Balance vs Drift of Mist
Where Balance belongs to Jotun's range, Drift of Mist is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Balance belongs to the green-grey family and Drift of Mist to the greige-grey family. Drift of Mist (LRV 69) reflects noticeably more light than Balance (LRV 19), a difference of 50 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Balance runs neutral while Drift of Mist is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 35.5, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Balance vs Drift of Mist in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Balance and Drift of Mist 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 Drift of Mist will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Balance 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. Drift of Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Balance.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Drift of Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Balance.
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. Drift of Mist 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. Drift of Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Balance.
Color Details
Balance vs Drift of Mist Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balance on one side and Drift of Mist 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 Balance comparisons
See how Balance stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
