Barely Pear vs Charcoal Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Barely Pear reads as beige-yellow, while Charcoal Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Barely Pear (LRV 83) reflects noticeably more light than Charcoal Blue (LRV 6), a difference of 77 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Barely Pear runs warm while Charcoal Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 66.2, 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.
Barely Pear vs Charcoal Blue in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Barely Pear and Charcoal 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
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 Barely Pear will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Charcoal Blue 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. Barely Pear reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Barely Pear reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
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. Barely Pear reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
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. Barely Pear reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
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. Barely Pear reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
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 Barely Pear will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Charcoal Blue would.
Color Details
Barely Pear vs Charcoal Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Barely Pear on one side and Charcoal 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 Barely Pear comparisons
See how Barely Pear stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Barely Pear reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 69), opening up a space where Ammonite encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 83 vs 6, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely Pear reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Barely Pear reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 52, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely Pear reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 58, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 27, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely Pear reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Barely Pear reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 55, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 13, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 44, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 84 and 83, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Barely Pear reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 66, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (83 vs 74) makes Barely Pear the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Barely Pear reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 51), opening up a space where Pigeon encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 12, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 8, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 68, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely Pear reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 12, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 45, Barely Pear is decisively the brighter choice.
Barely Pear reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.