Gustavian Blue vs Agreeable Gray
Gustavian Blue (Jotun) and Agreeable Gray (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Gustavian Blue belongs to the blue-grey family and Agreeable Gray to the greige-grey family. The 22-point LRV gap — 60 for Agreeable Gray vs 38 for Gustavian Blue — means Agreeable Gray will open up a space more effectively. Where Gustavian Blue leans cool, Agreeable Gray reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 18.0 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Gustavian Blue vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Gustavian Blue and Agreeable Gray 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Gustavian Blue.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Gustavian Blue would.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Gustavian Blue.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Gustavian Blue vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gustavian Blue on one side and Agreeable Gray 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 Gustavian Blue comparisons
See how Gustavian Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 38, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 38), opening up a space where Gustavian Blue encloses it.
Gustavian Blue reflects far more light (LRV 38 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 38, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (38 vs 30) makes Gustavian Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 38), opening up a space where Gustavian Blue encloses it.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 38), opening up a space where Gustavian Blue encloses it.
Gustavian Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 38 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 5-point LRV gap (43 vs 38) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 38 vs 4, Gustavian Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 38), opening up a space where Gustavian Blue encloses it.
Gustavian Blue reflects far more light (LRV 38 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 38), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 38, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 38 vs 21, Gustavian Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 38), opening up a space where Gustavian Blue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 38), opening up a space where Gustavian Blue encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 38), opening up a space where Gustavian Blue encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 38, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Gustavian Blue reflects far more light (LRV 38 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Gustavian Blue reflects far more light (LRV 38 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 38), opening up a space where Gustavian Blue encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 41 vs 38), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Gustavian Blue reflects far more light (LRV 38 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 38), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 7-point LRV gap (38 vs 31) makes Gustavian Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 38 vs 7, Gustavian Blue is decisively the brighter choice.