Buoyant Blue vs Pewter Green
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Buoyant Blue belongs to the blue-green family and Pewter Green to the green-grey family. Buoyant Blue (LRV 80) reflects noticeably more light than Pewter Green (LRV 12), a difference of 68 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Buoyant Blue runs cool while Pewter Green is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 50.9, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Buoyant Blue vs Pewter Green in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Buoyant Blue and Pewter Green 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Buoyant Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Pewter Green would.
Color Details
Buoyant Blue vs Pewter Green Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Buoyant Blue on one side and Pewter Green 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 Buoyant Blue comparisons
See how Buoyant Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 11-point LRV gap (80 vs 69) makes Buoyant Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 80), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 80 vs 52, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 80 vs 30, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
At LRV 80 vs 60, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 80 vs 43, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 80 vs 4, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (84 vs 80) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 80 vs 21, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 66), opening up a space where Balboa Mist encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 80 vs 74), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 83 and 80, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 80 vs 51, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 80 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 80 vs 41, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 80 vs 31, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 80 vs 7, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.