Cooled Blue vs Refresh
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Refresh (LRV 59) reflects noticeably more light than Cooled Blue (LRV 41), 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 11.9, 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.
Cooled Blue vs Refresh in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cooled Blue and Refresh in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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. Refresh reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cooled Blue.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Refresh will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cooled Blue would.
Color Details
Cooled Blue vs Refresh Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cooled Blue on one side and Refresh 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 Cooled Blue comparisons
See how Cooled Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
