Bubble vs Cay
Bubble and Cay come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 18-point LRV gap — 77 for Bubble vs 58 for Cay — means Bubble will open up a space more effectively. Both share a cool character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 11.4 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.
Bubble vs Cay in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Bubble and Cay 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. Bubble reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cay.
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. Bubble 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. Bubble 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 Bubble will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cay 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. Bubble 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. Bubble 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 Bubble will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cay 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 Bubble will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cay 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. Bubble returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Bubble vs Cay Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Bubble on one side and Cay 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 Bubble comparisons
See how Bubble stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 7-point LRV gap (83 vs 77) makes White Dove the marginally brighter of the two.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 58, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 27, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 55, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 44, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 77), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (77 vs 66) makes Bubble the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 77 vs 74), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 77 vs 12, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (77 vs 68) makes Bubble the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 77 vs 12, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 45, Bubble is decisively the brighter choice.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Bubble reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.