Denim vs Mercurial
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Denim belongs to the blue family and Mercurial to the greige-grey family. Mercurial (LRV 61) reflects noticeably more light than Denim (LRV 14), a difference of 47 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Denim runs cool while Mercurial is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 43.6, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Denim vs Mercurial in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Denim and Mercurial in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Mercurial reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Denim.
Color Details
Denim vs Mercurial Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Denim on one side and Mercurial 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 Denim comparisons
See how Denim stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 14, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 14, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 14, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 14, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 14, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
With LRVs of 14 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
With LRVs of 14 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 14), opening up a space where Denim encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 14, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (14 vs 7) makes Denim the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (24 vs 14) makes Cement grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 14, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.