Honorable Blue vs Rarified Air paint color comparison

Honorable Blue vs Rarified Air

Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. Hue-wise, Honorable Blue belongs to the blue family and Rarified Air to the blue-white family. At LRV 78 vs 6, Rarified Air will read as the brighter of the two — a 72-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. They share a cool quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. At ΔE 70.1, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Honorable Blue vs Rarified Air in Real Spaces

2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Honorable Blue and Rarified Air in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.

Bathroom

Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Rarified Air will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Honorable Blue would.

Honorable BlueBathroom

@ellenfrancesdesigns

Rarified AirSherwin Williams Rarified Air Bathroom Vanity

@graceandhenrydesigns

Kitchen Cabinets

On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The LRV gap is large enough that Rarified Air will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Honorable Blue would.

Honorable BlueHonorable Blue Kitchen Cabinets

@colorsoncabinetskona

Rarified AirRarified Air Kitchen Cabinets

@annette_tyrrell

Color Details

Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams · 6811
Hex#164576
LRV5.7
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number6811
Undertone
TemperatureCool
BrightnessDark
Rarified Air
Sherwin-Williams · 6525
Hex#E1E6E6
LRV78.1
BrandSherwin-Williams
Number6525
Undertone
TemperatureCool
BrightnessLight

Honorable Blue vs Rarified Air Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Honorable Blue on one side and Rarified Air on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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 Honorable Blue comparisons

See how Honorable Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

White Dove
Honorable Blue
White Dove
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

Ammonite
Honorable Blue
Ammonite
Honorable Blue
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 69 vs 6, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.

Honorable Blue
Iron Ore
Honorable Blue
Iron Ore
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

With LRVs of 6 and 6, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.

Purbeck Stone
Honorable Blue
Purbeck Stone
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 52 vs 6, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.

Evergreen Fog
Honorable Blue
Evergreen Fog
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 30 vs 6, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.

Mizzle
Honorable Blue
Mizzle
Honorable Blue
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

Agreeable Gray
Honorable Blue
Agreeable Gray
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 60 vs 6, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.

Accessible Beige
Honorable Blue
Accessible Beige
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

Denim Drift
Honorable Blue
Denim Drift
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

French Gray
Honorable Blue
French Gray
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 43 vs 6, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.

Honorable Blue
Naval
Honorable Blue
Naval
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 6 vs 4), so neither reads brighter in a room.

Tranquil Dawn
Honorable Blue
Tranquil Dawn
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

Bancha
Honorable Blue
Bancha
Honorable Blue
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Hardwick White
Honorable Blue
Hardwick White
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

Honorable Blue
Pure White
Honorable Blue
Pure White
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 84 vs 6, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.

Artichoke
Honorable Blue
Artichoke
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 21 vs 6, Artichoke is decisively the brighter choice.

Balboa Mist
Honorable Blue
Balboa Mist
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

Honorable Blue
Shoji White
Honorable Blue
Shoji White
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

Honorable Blue
Snowbound
Honorable Blue
Snowbound
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

Honorable Blue
Pewter Green
Honorable Blue
Pewter Green
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Pewter Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Skimming Stone
Honorable Blue
Skimming Stone
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

Dix Blue
Honorable Blue
Dix Blue
Honorable Blue
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 41 vs 6, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Calamine
Honorable Blue
Calamine
Honorable Blue
Farrow & Ball
Calamine
LRV 68
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 68 vs 6, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.

Treron
Honorable Blue
Treron
Honorable Blue
Farrow & Ball
Treron
LRV 25
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 25 vs 6, Treron is decisively the brighter choice.

Vintage Vogue
Honorable Blue
Vintage Vogue
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Saybrook Sage
Honorable Blue
Saybrook Sage
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 6), opening up a space where Honorable Blue encloses it.

Pale Green
Honorable Blue
Pale Green
Honorable Blue
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 31 vs 6, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.

Pine Needle
Honorable Blue
Pine Needle
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 7 vs 6), so neither reads brighter in a room.

Cement grey
Honorable Blue
Cement grey
Honorable Blue
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 24 vs 6, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.

Guilford Green
Honorable Blue
Guilford Green
Honorable Blue
Sherwin-Williams
Honorable Blue
6811 · LRV 6

At LRV 57 vs 6, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.