City Loft vs Soulful Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. City Loft reads as beige-greige, while Soulful Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. City Loft (LRV 70) reflects noticeably more light than Soulful Blue (LRV 20), a difference of 50 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. City Loft 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 39.2, 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.
City Loft vs Soulful Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing City Loft 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. City Loft 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. City Loft 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. City Loft reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
Color Details
City Loft vs Soulful Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see City Loft 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 City Loft comparisons
See how City Loft stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 70), opening up a space where City Loft encloses it.
At LRV 70 vs 52, City Loft is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 30, City Loft is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (70 vs 60) makes City Loft the marginally brighter of the two.
City Loft reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
City Loft reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 70 vs 43, City Loft is decisively the brighter choice.
City Loft reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
City Loft reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 70, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
City Loft reads slightly lighter (LRV 70 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 70), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
City Loft reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
City Loft reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
With LRVs of 70 and 68, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
City Loft reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
City Loft reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 70 vs 31, City Loft is decisively the brighter choice.