Cherry Tomato vs Hinting Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Cherry Tomato reads as pink-red, while Hinting Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Hinting Blue (LRV 68) reflects noticeably more light than Cherry Tomato (LRV 12), a difference of 56 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Cherry Tomato runs warm while Hinting Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 78.0, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cherry Tomato vs Hinting Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cherry Tomato and Hinting 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 Hinting Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cherry Tomato 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. Hinting Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cherry Tomato.
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. Hinting Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cherry Tomato.
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. Hinting Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cherry Tomato.
Color Details
Cherry Tomato vs Hinting Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cherry Tomato on one side and Hinting 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.