Heavenly White vs Upward
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Heavenly White reads as greige-white, while Upward reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Heavenly White (LRV 81) reflects noticeably more light than Upward (LRV 57), a difference of 24 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Heavenly White runs warm while Upward is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 13.5, 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 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Heavenly White vs Upward in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Heavenly White and Upward 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 Heavenly White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Upward 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. Heavenly White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Upward.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Heavenly White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Upward.
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. Heavenly White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Upward.
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. Heavenly White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Upward.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Heavenly White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Heavenly White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Upward.
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 Heavenly White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Upward would.
Color Details
Heavenly White vs Upward Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Heavenly White on one side and Upward 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 Heavenly White comparisons
See how Heavenly White stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Heavenly White reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 81), so neither reads brighter in a room.