Distance vs Icicle
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Distance belongs to the blue family and Icicle to the blue-grey family. Icicle (LRV 73) reflects noticeably more light than Distance (LRV 15), a difference of 58 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Distance runs cool while Icicle is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 43.8, 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.
Distance vs Icicle in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Distance and Icicle 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 Icicle will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Distance 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. Icicle reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Distance.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Icicle reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Distance.
Color Details
Distance vs Icicle Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Distance on one side and Icicle 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 Distance comparisons
See how Distance stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
