Icy vs Solitude
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. Icy (LRV 56) reflects noticeably more light than Solitude (LRV 38), a difference of 18 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean cool, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 12.3, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Icy vs Solitude in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Icy and Solitude in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Color Details
Icy vs Solitude Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Icy on one side and Solitude 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 Icy comparisons
See how Icy stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 56), opening up a space where Icy encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (56 vs 52) makes Icy the marginally brighter of the two.
A 4-point LRV gap (60 vs 56) makes Agreeable Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 58 and 56, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Icy reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
With LRVs of 56 and 55, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Icy reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 56, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 56), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 56), opening up a space where Icy encloses it.
Icy reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 56), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Icy reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Icy reads slightly lighter (LRV 56 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 56 vs 31, Icy is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 24, Icy is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 57 vs 56), so neither reads brighter in a room.