Icy Blue vs Snowbound
Icy Blue (Jotun) and Snowbound (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Icy Blue reads as blue-grey, while Snowbound reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 57-point LRV gap — 83 for Snowbound vs 25 for Icy Blue — means Snowbound will open up a space more effectively. Where Icy Blue leans cool, Snowbound reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 35.9 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.
Icy Blue vs Snowbound in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Icy Blue and Snowbound 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. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Icy 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. Snowbound 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. Snowbound 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 Snowbound will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Icy Blue would.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Snowbound returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Snowbound returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Snowbound returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Icy Blue vs Snowbound Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Icy Blue on one side and Snowbound 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 Icy Blue comparisons
See how Icy Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 25, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 25), opening up a space where Icy Blue encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 25), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 25), opening up a space where Icy Blue encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 25, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 27 vs 25), so neither reads brighter in a room.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 25), opening up a space where Icy Blue encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 25, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 25, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 25), opening up a space where Icy Blue encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 25, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 25, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 12, Icy Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 25, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 12, Icy Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 25, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 25), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Icy Blue reflects far more light (LRV 25 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
With LRVs of 25 and 24, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 25), opening up a space where Icy Blue encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 25), opening up a space where Icy Blue encloses it.