After the Rain vs Candid Blue
After the Rain and Candid Blue come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 49 vs 48 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Both share a cool character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 10.7 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
After the Rain vs Candid Blue in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing After the Rain and Candid Blue 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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Patio
Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
After the Rain vs Candid Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see After the Rain on one side and Candid Blue 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 After the Rain comparisons
See how After the Rain stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 49, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 52 vs 49), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 49 vs 30, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 52 and 49, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 11-point LRV gap (60 vs 49) makes Agreeable Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 49), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (49 vs 43) makes After the Rain the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 49 vs 4, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 49), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
After the Rain reads slightly lighter (LRV 49 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 49, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 21, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 49), opening up a space where After the Rain encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (49 vs 41) makes After the Rain the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 49, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 25, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
After the Rain reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
After the Rain reads slightly lighter (LRV 49 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 49 vs 31, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 7, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 24, After the Rain is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (57 vs 49) makes Guilford Green the marginally brighter of the two.