Aleutian vs Upward
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Upward (LRV 57) reflects noticeably more light than Aleutian (LRV 38), a difference of 19 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean cool, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 12.9, 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 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Aleutian vs Upward in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Aleutian and Upward 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 Upward will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Aleutian 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. Upward reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Aleutian.
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. Upward reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Aleutian.
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. Upward reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Aleutian.
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. Upward reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Aleutian.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Upward will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Aleutian would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Upward reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Aleutian.
Color Details
Aleutian vs Upward Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Aleutian on one side and Upward 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 Aleutian comparisons
See how Aleutian stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
