Interesting Aqua vs Truly Taupe
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Interesting Aqua reads as blue-grey, while Truly Taupe reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Interesting Aqua (LRV 41) reflects noticeably more light than Truly Taupe (LRV 35), a difference of 5 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Interesting Aqua runs cool while Truly Taupe is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 14.4, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Interesting Aqua vs Truly Taupe in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Interesting Aqua and Truly Taupe 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Interesting Aqua gives the walls a little more lift.
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. Interesting Aqua reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Interesting Aqua reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Interesting Aqua vs Truly Taupe Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Interesting Aqua on one side and Truly Taupe 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.