Celery vs Charcoal Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Celery belongs to the beige-yellow family and Charcoal Blue to the blue-grey family. Celery (LRV 71) reflects noticeably more light than Charcoal Blue (LRV 6), a difference of 66 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Celery runs warm while Charcoal Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 63.9, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Celery vs Charcoal Blue in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Celery and Charcoal Blue 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 Celery will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Charcoal Blue would.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Celery reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal 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. Celery reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal 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. Celery reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Celery reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
Color Details
Celery vs Charcoal Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Celery on one side and Charcoal 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.