Drift of Mist vs Special Gray
Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. Hue-wise, Drift of Mist belongs to the greige-grey family and Special Gray to the grey family. At LRV 69 vs 19, Drift of Mist will read as the brighter of the two — a 50-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. The tonal difference — Drift of Mist's warm character against Special Gray's neutral — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 36.3, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Drift of Mist vs Special Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Drift of Mist and Special Gray 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Drift of Mist returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Drift of Mist will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Special Gray would.
Color Details
Drift of Mist vs Special Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Drift of Mist on one side and Special Gray 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.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 69 vs 69), so neither reads brighter in a room.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 69), opening up a space where Drift of Mist encloses it.
Drift of Mist reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 52, Drift of Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 69 vs 30, Drift of Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Drift of Mist reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (69 vs 60) makes Drift of Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
Drift of Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Drift of Mist reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 43, Drift of Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 69 vs 4, Drift of Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Drift of Mist reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Drift of Mist reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Drift of Mist reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 69, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 69 vs 21, Drift of Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Drift of Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 69), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 69), opening up a space where Drift of Mist encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 51, Drift of Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Drift of Mist reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Drift of Mist reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
With LRVs of 69 and 68, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 69 vs 41, Drift of Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
Drift of Mist reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Drift of Mist reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 31, Drift of Mist is decisively the brighter choice.