Blue Refrain vs Naval
Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. At LRV 64 vs 4, Blue Refrain will read as the brighter of the two — a 60-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. They share a cool quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. At ΔE 59.5, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Blue Refrain vs Naval in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Blue Refrain and Naval 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Blue Refrain returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Refrain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Refrain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. Blue Refrain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Refrain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
Home Office
In a home office, wall color sits in your peripheral vision for hours at a time, so temperature and undertone matter more than you might expect. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Refrain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Blue Refrain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
Front Door
Front doors are seen in isolation against the rest of the facade, which makes them a high-stakes surface where even subtle differences matter. Blue Refrain returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Blue Refrain vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Refrain on one side and Naval 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 Refrain comparisons
See how Blue Refrain stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 64, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 64 vs 6, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 52, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Refrain reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 7-point LRV gap (64 vs 58) makes Blue Refrain the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 64 vs 27, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (64 vs 55) makes Blue Refrain the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 64 vs 13, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 44, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 64), opening up a space where Blue Refrain encloses it.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 64), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 10-point LRV gap (74 vs 64) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 83 vs 64, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 12, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (68 vs 64) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Calamine reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 12, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 45, Blue Refrain is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Blue Refrain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Blue Refrain reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Just Walnut reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.