Cityscape vs Retreat
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (22 vs 21), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. Both lean neutral, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. The ΔE 4.5 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cityscape vs Retreat in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Cityscape and Retreat are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
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. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Cityscape vs Retreat Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cityscape on one side and Retreat 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 Cityscape comparisons
See how Cityscape stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 22), opening up a space where Cityscape encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 22, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (30 vs 22) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 22, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 22), opening up a space where Cityscape encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 22), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 22, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 22), opening up a space where Cityscape encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 22), opening up a space where Cityscape encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 22, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 22), opening up a space where Cityscape encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 22), opening up a space where Cityscape encloses it.
Cityscape reads slightly lighter (LRV 22 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 22), opening up a space where Cityscape encloses it.
Cityscape reads slightly lighter (LRV 22 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 22), opening up a space where Cityscape encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (31 vs 22) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 22 vs 7, Cityscape is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 24 vs 22), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 57 vs 22, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.