Cloudless vs Fountain
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. Cloudless (LRV 56) reflects noticeably more light than Fountain (LRV 39), a difference of 17 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean cool, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 13.2, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cloudless vs Fountain in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cloudless and Fountain 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 Cloudless will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Fountain would.
Color Details
Cloudless vs Fountain Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cloudless on one side and Fountain 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 Cloudless comparisons
See how Cloudless stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 56, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Cloudless reads slightly lighter (LRV 56 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cloudless reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 56), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 56), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 56 vs 27, Cloudless is decisively the brighter choice.
Cloudless reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 56 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 56 vs 44, Cloudless is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 56), opening up a space where Cloudless encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (66 vs 56) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 56, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 12, Cloudless is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (68 vs 56) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 56 vs 12, Cloudless is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (56 vs 45) makes Cloudless the marginally brighter of the two.
Cloudless reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Cloudless reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Cloudless reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 57 and 56, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.