Charcoal Blue vs Thames Fog
Where Charcoal Blue belongs to Sherwin-Williams's range, Thames Fog is a Valspar color. Charcoal Blue reads as blue-grey, while Thames Fog reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Thames Fog (LRV 27) reflects noticeably more light than Charcoal Blue (LRV 6), a difference of 22 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 34.5, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Charcoal Blue vs Thames Fog in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Charcoal Blue and Thames Fog 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 Thames Fog 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. Thames Fog 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. Thames Fog 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. Thames Fog reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Charcoal Blue.
Color Details
Charcoal Blue vs Thames Fog Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Charcoal Blue on one side and Thames Fog 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.
