Bitter Chocolate vs Open Air

Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Bitter Chocolate reads as grey, while Open Air reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Open Air (LRV 70) reflects noticeably more light than Bitter Chocolate (LRV 5), a difference of 65 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Bitter Chocolate runs warm while Open Air is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 62.2, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below, 5 simulated room previews show how each color reads at scale — real-room photos will be added as they become available.