Charcoal Blue vs Ellie Gray
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Charcoal Blue reads as blue-grey, while Ellie Gray reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Ellie Gray (LRV 40) reflects noticeably more light than Charcoal Blue (LRV 6), a difference of 34 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Charcoal Blue runs cool while Ellie Gray is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 42.0, 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 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Charcoal Blue vs Ellie Gray in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Charcoal Blue and Ellie Gray 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 Ellie Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Charcoal Blue would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Ellie Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Ellie Gray 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. Ellie Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Ellie Gray 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. Ellie Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Ellie Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Charcoal Blue would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Ellie Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
Color Details
Charcoal Blue vs Ellie Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Charcoal Blue on one side and Ellie Gray 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 Charcoal Blue comparisons
See how Charcoal Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
With LRVs of 6 and 4, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 6), opening up a space where Charcoal Blue encloses it.