Gibraltar vs Storm Cloud
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Storm Cloud (LRV 23) reflects noticeably more light than Gibraltar (LRV 14), a difference of 9 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean neutral, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 10.7, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Gibraltar vs Storm Cloud in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Gibraltar and Storm Cloud 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 Storm Cloud will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Gibraltar would.
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. Storm Cloud 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. Storm Cloud reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Gibraltar.
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. Storm Cloud reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Gibraltar.
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. Storm Cloud reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Gibraltar.
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 Storm Cloud will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Gibraltar would.
Color Details
Gibraltar vs Storm Cloud Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gibraltar on one side and Storm Cloud 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 Gibraltar comparisons
See how Gibraltar stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 14, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 14), opening up a space where Gibraltar encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 14), opening up a space where Gibraltar encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 14), opening up a space where Gibraltar encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 14, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 14, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 14), opening up a space where Gibraltar encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 14, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 14, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 14), opening up a space where Gibraltar encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 14, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 14, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 14, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 14, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 14), opening up a space where Gibraltar encloses it.
Gibraltar reads slightly lighter (LRV 14 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 14), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 14), opening up a space where Gibraltar encloses it.