Kingston vs Special Gray
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Kingston reads as green-grey, while Special Gray reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Kingston (LRV 70) reflects noticeably more light than Special Gray (LRV 19), a difference of 51 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Kingston runs cool while Special Gray is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 37.1, 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.
Kingston vs Special Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Kingston and Special Gray 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 Kingston will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Special Gray 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. Kingston reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Special Gray.
Color Details
Kingston vs Special Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Kingston on one side and Special Gray 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 Kingston comparisons
See how Kingston stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 70), opening up a space where Kingston encloses it.
At LRV 70 vs 52, Kingston is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 30, Kingston is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (70 vs 60) makes Kingston the marginally brighter of the two.
Kingston reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Kingston reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 70 vs 43, Kingston is decisively the brighter choice.
Kingston reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Kingston reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 70, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Kingston reads slightly lighter (LRV 70 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 70), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Kingston reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
With LRVs of 70 and 68, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Kingston reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Kingston reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 70 vs 31, Kingston is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 7, Kingston is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 24, Kingston is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 57, Kingston is decisively the brighter choice.