Denim vs Gardenia
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Denim reads as blue, while Gardenia reads as beige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Gardenia (LRV 78) reflects noticeably more light than Denim (LRV 14), a difference of 64 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Denim runs cool while Gardenia is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 56.3, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Denim vs Gardenia in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Denim and Gardenia 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 Gardenia will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Denim would.
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. Gardenia reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Denim.
Color Details
Denim vs Gardenia Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Denim on one side and Gardenia 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.