Ethereal Mood vs Gateway Gray
Ethereal Mood and Gateway Gray come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. The 3-point LRV gap — 41 for Gateway Gray vs 38 for Ethereal Mood — means Gateway Gray will open up a space more effectively. Both share a warm character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 2.8 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Ethereal Mood vs Gateway Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Ethereal Mood and Gateway Gray are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Gateway Gray reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Gateway Gray has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Ethereal Mood vs Gateway Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Ethereal Mood on one side and Gateway 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.