Cosmos vs Honest Blue
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. Honest Blue (LRV 55) reflects noticeably more light than Cosmos (LRV 38), 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 13.3, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cosmos vs Honest Blue in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cosmos and Honest Blue 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 Honest Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cosmos would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Honest Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cosmos.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Honest Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cosmos.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Honest Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Honest Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cosmos.
Color Details
Cosmos vs Honest Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cosmos on one side and Honest 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 Cosmos comparisons
See how Cosmos stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 38, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 38), opening up a space where Cosmos encloses it.
Cosmos reads slightly lighter (LRV 38 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 38), opening up a space where Cosmos encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 38, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (38 vs 27) makes Cosmos the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 38), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 38, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (44 vs 38) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 38), opening up a space where Cosmos encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 38, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 38, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 38 vs 12, Cosmos is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 38, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 38 vs 12, Cosmos is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (45 vs 38) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Cosmos reads slightly lighter (LRV 38 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cosmos reflects far more light (LRV 38 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Cosmos reflects far more light (LRV 38 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 38), opening up a space where Cosmos encloses it.