Drift of Mist vs Night Owl
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Drift of Mist reads as greige-grey, while Night Owl reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Drift of Mist (LRV 69) reflects noticeably more light than Night Owl (LRV 13), a difference of 56 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Drift of Mist runs warm while Night Owl is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 44.1, 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 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Drift of Mist vs Night Owl in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Drift of Mist and Night Owl 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 Drift of Mist will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Night Owl 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. Drift of Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Night Owl.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Drift of Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Night Owl.
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. Drift of Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Night Owl.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Drift of Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Night Owl.
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. Drift of Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Night Owl.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Drift of Mist will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Night Owl would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Drift of Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Night Owl.
Color Details
Drift of Mist vs Night Owl Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Drift of Mist on one side and Night Owl 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 Drift of Mist comparisons
See how Drift of Mist stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
