Downy vs Rain Cloud

Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Downy reads as beige, while Rain Cloud reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Downy (LRV 81) reflects noticeably more light than Rain Cloud (LRV 11), a difference of 70 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Downy runs warm while Rain Cloud is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 53.5, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below, 5 simulated room previews show how each color reads at scale — real-room photos will be added as they become available.