Blue Horizon vs Real Red
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Blue Horizon reads as blue, while Real Red reads as pink-red — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Blue Horizon (LRV 78) reflects noticeably more light than Real Red (LRV 13), a difference of 64 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Blue Horizon runs cool while Real Red is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 85.6, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Blue Horizon vs Real Red in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Blue Horizon and Real Red in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Blue Horizon returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Blue Horizon reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Real Red.
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 Blue Horizon will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Real Red would.
Color Details
Blue Horizon vs Real Red Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Horizon on one side and Real Red 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 Blue Horizon comparisons
See how Blue Horizon stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 6-point LRV gap (83 vs 78) makes White Dove the marginally brighter of the two.
Blue Horizon reads slightly lighter (LRV 78 vs 69), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 78 vs 6, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 52, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 58, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 27, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 55, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 13, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 44, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 78), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 66, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (78 vs 74) makes Blue Horizon the marginally brighter of the two.
A 5-point LRV gap (83 vs 78) makes Snowbound the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 78 vs 12, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (78 vs 68) makes Blue Horizon the marginally brighter of the two.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Blue Horizon reads slightly lighter (LRV 78 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 78 vs 12, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 78 vs 45, Blue Horizon is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Blue Horizon reflects far more light (LRV 78 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.