Clean Slate vs Serenely
Clean Slate and Serenely come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Hue-wise, Clean Slate belongs to the blue-green family and Serenely to the blue-grey family. The 10-point LRV gap — 76 for Clean Slate vs 66 for Serenely — means Clean Slate will open up a space more effectively. Where Clean Slate leans neutral, Serenely reads cool — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. ΔE 5.2 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Clean Slate vs Serenely in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Clean Slate and Serenely 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Clean Slate reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Serenely.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Clean Slate returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Clean Slate returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Clean Slate vs Serenely Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Clean Slate on one side and Serenely 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.