Blue Plate vs Danube
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (17 vs 16), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. Both lean cool, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. The ΔE 3.7 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Blue Plate vs Danube in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Blue Plate and Danube are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
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. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Blue Plate vs Danube Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Plate on one side and Danube 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 Plate comparisons
See how Blue Plate stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Plate encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 17, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Plate reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 17, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 17, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Plate encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 17, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Plate encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 17), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 17, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 17 vs 4, Blue Plate is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Plate encloses it.
Blue Plate reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Plate encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 17, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (21 vs 17) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Plate encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Plate encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Plate encloses it.
Blue Plate reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Plate encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 17, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 17, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (25 vs 17) makes Treron the marginally brighter of the two.
Blue Plate reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 17), opening up a space where Blue Plate encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 17, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (17 vs 7) makes Blue Plate the marginally brighter of the two.
A 7-point LRV gap (24 vs 17) makes Cement grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 17, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.