Black Swan vs Blue Bauble
Black Swan and Blue Bauble come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Black Swan reads as grey, while Blue Bauble reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 62-point LRV gap — 66 for Blue Bauble vs 4 for Black Swan — means Blue Bauble will open up a space more effectively. Where Black Swan leans neutral, Blue Bauble reads cool — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 64.4 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Black Swan vs Blue Bauble in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Black Swan and Blue Bauble 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Blue Bauble reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black Swan.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Blue Bauble returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Blue Bauble returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Bauble will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Black Swan would.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Blue Bauble returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Blue Bauble returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Bauble will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Black Swan would.
Patio
Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Bauble will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Black Swan would.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Blue Bauble returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Blue Bauble reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black Swan.
Color Details
Black Swan vs Blue Bauble Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Black Swan on one side and Blue Bauble 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 Black Swan comparisons
See how Black Swan stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 4, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 6 and 4, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 52 vs 4, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 4, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 4, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 4, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 4 vs 4), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 4, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 21 vs 4, Artichoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
Pewter Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 4, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 4, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 4, Treron is decisively the brighter choice.
Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 4), opening up a space where Black Swan encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 4, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (7 vs 4) makes Pine Needle the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 24 vs 4, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 4, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.