Ashen vs Naval
Where Ashen belongs to PPG's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Ashen belongs to the beige-greige family and Naval to the blue family. Ashen (LRV 52) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 48 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 56.0, 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 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Ashen vs Naval in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Ashen 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 LRV gap is large enough that Ashen will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval 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. Ashen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Ashen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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. Ashen 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. Ashen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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. Ashen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Ashen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Color Details
Ashen vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Ashen 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 Ashen comparisons
See how Ashen stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 52, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 52 and 52, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Ashen reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (58 vs 52) makes Accessible Beige the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 52 vs 27, Ashen is decisively the brighter choice.
Ashen reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 3-point LRV gap (55 vs 52) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
A 8-point LRV gap (52 vs 44) makes Ashen the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 52), opening up a space where Ashen encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 52, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 52, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 52 vs 12, Ashen is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 52 vs 8, Ashen is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 52, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 52 vs 12, Ashen is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (52 vs 45) makes Ashen the marginally brighter of the two.
Ashen reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Ashen reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.