Canoe vs Soulful Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Canoe belongs to the beige family and Soulful Blue to the blue-grey family. Canoe (LRV 34) reflects noticeably more light than Soulful Blue (LRV 20), a difference of 14 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Canoe runs warm while Soulful Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 34.7, 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.
Canoe vs Soulful Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Canoe and Soulful Blue in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Canoe reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Canoe reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
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. Canoe reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
Color Details
Canoe vs Soulful Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Canoe on one side and Soulful Blue 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 Canoe comparisons
See how Canoe stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 34, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 34), opening up a space where Canoe encloses it.
Canoe reads slightly lighter (LRV 34 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 34), opening up a space where Canoe encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 34, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (34 vs 27) makes Canoe the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 34), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 34, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (44 vs 34) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 34), opening up a space where Canoe encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 34, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 34, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 34 vs 12, Canoe is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 34, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 34 vs 12, Canoe is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (45 vs 34) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 34 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Canoe reflects far more light (LRV 34 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Canoe reads slightly lighter (LRV 34 vs 24), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 34), opening up a space where Canoe encloses it.