Earl Grey vs Snowbound
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Earl Grey belongs to the grey family and Snowbound to the beige-greige family. Snowbound (LRV 83) reflects noticeably more light than Earl Grey (LRV 32), a difference of 51 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Earl Grey runs neutral while Snowbound is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 29.7, 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 9 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Earl Grey vs Snowbound in Real Spaces
9 real rooms side by side. Seeing Earl Grey and Snowbound 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 Snowbound will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Earl Grey 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. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Grey.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Grey.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Snowbound returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Grey.
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. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Grey.
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. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Grey.
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 Snowbound will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Earl Grey would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Grey.
Color Details
Earl Grey vs Snowbound Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Earl Grey on one side and Snowbound 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 Earl Grey comparisons
See how Earl Grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 32, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 32), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 32 and 30, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 32), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 32, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (32 vs 27) makes Earl Grey the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 32), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 32, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (44 vs 32) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 32), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 32, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 32, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 32 vs 12, Earl Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 32, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 32 vs 12, Earl Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 32, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 32 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Earl Grey reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Earl Grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 32 vs 24), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 32), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 32), opening up a space where Earl Grey encloses it.