Ethereal Mood vs Illusion
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (38 vs 40), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. At ΔE 1.6, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Ethereal Mood vs Illusion in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Ethereal Mood and Illusion 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
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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Ethereal Mood vs Illusion Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Ethereal Mood on one side and Illusion 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.