Inky Blue vs Pure White
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Inky Blue belongs to the blue family and Pure White to the beige-greige family. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than Inky Blue (LRV 15), a difference of 69 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Inky Blue runs cool while Pure White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 51.0, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Inky Blue vs Pure White in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Inky Blue and Pure White 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 Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Inky Blue would.
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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Inky Blue.
Color Details
Inky Blue vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Inky Blue on one side and Pure White 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 Inky Blue comparisons
See how Inky Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 15, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 15), opening up a space where Inky Blue encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 15), opening up a space where Inky Blue encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 15), opening up a space where Inky Blue encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 15, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (27 vs 15) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 15), opening up a space where Inky Blue encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 15, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 15, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 15, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 15, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (15 vs 12) makes Inky Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 15, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (15 vs 12) makes Inky Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 15, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 15), opening up a space where Inky Blue encloses it.
Inky Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 15), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 15), opening up a space where Inky Blue encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 15), opening up a space where Inky Blue encloses it.