Austere Gray vs Passageway
Where Austere Gray belongs to Sherwin-Williams's range, Passageway is a Valspar color. Austere Gray reads as greige-grey, while Passageway reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Austere Gray (LRV 51) reflects noticeably more light than Passageway (LRV 14), a difference of 37 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 35.7, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Austere Gray vs Passageway in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Austere Gray and Passageway 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 Austere Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Passageway would.
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. Austere Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Passageway.
Color Details
Austere Gray vs Passageway Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Austere Gray on one side and Passageway 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 Austere Gray comparisons
See how Austere Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
