Honest Blue vs Snowbound
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Honest Blue belongs to the blue family and Snowbound to the beige-greige family. Snowbound (LRV 83) reflects noticeably more light than Honest Blue (LRV 55), a difference of 28 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Honest Blue runs cool while Snowbound is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 18.3, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Honest Blue vs Snowbound in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Honest Blue and Snowbound 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 Snowbound will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Honest Blue 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. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Honest Blue.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Honest Blue.
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. Snowbound 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. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Honest Blue.
Color Details
Honest Blue vs Snowbound Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Honest Blue on one side and Snowbound 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 Honest Blue comparisons
See how Honest Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 55, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 55), opening up a space where Honest Blue encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 6, Honest Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Honest Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Honest Blue reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (55 vs 52) makes Honest Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 55 vs 27, Honest Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Honest Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Honest Blue reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 55 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 55 vs 13, Honest Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (55 vs 44) makes Honest Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 55), opening up a space where Honest Blue encloses it.
Honest Blue reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (66 vs 55) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 55, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 55 vs 12, Honest Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 55, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Honest Blue reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 55), opening up a space where Honest Blue encloses it.
Honest Blue reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 12, Honest Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (55 vs 45) makes Honest Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Honest Blue reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Honest Blue reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Honest Blue reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 57 and 55, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 55), opening up a space where Honest Blue encloses it.