Glass Bead vs Icicle
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Glass Bead reads as blue-white, while Icicle reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Glass Bead (LRV 77) reflects noticeably more light than Icicle (LRV 73), a difference of 4 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Glass Bead runs cool while Icicle is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. At ΔE 2.1, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Glass Bead vs Icicle in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Glass Bead and Icicle 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Glass Bead gives the walls a little more lift.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Glass Bead reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Glass Bead reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Glass Bead vs Icicle Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Glass Bead on one side and Icicle 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.