Aviary Blue vs Iron Ore
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Aviary Blue belongs to the blue family and Iron Ore to the grey family. Aviary Blue (LRV 73) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 67 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Aviary Blue runs cool while Iron Ore is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 60.9, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Aviary Blue vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Aviary Blue and Iron Ore 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 Aviary Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
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. Aviary Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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. Aviary Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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 Aviary Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Aviary Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Aviary Blue vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Aviary Blue on one side and Iron Ore 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 Aviary Blue comparisons
See how Aviary Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 73), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 4-point LRV gap (73 vs 69) makes Aviary Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 73 vs 52, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 73 vs 30, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Aviary Blue reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
At LRV 73 vs 60, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Aviary Blue reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Aviary Blue reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 73 vs 43, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 73 vs 4, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Aviary Blue reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Aviary Blue reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Aviary Blue reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (84 vs 73) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 73 vs 21, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Aviary Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 73 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 74 and 73, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Snowbound reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 73), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Aviary Blue reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Aviary Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 73 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 73 vs 41, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (73 vs 68) makes Aviary Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 73 vs 25, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Aviary Blue reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Aviary Blue reflects far more light (LRV 73 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 73 vs 31, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 73 vs 7, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 73 vs 24, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 73 vs 57, Aviary Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 73 vs 72), so neither reads brighter in a room.