Koi Pond vs Soulful Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Koi Pond reads as beige-greige, while Soulful Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Koi Pond (LRV 44) reflects noticeably more light than Soulful Blue (LRV 20), a difference of 24 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Koi Pond runs warm while Soulful Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 36.1, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Koi Pond vs Soulful Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Koi Pond and Soulful Blue in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Koi Pond reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
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. Koi Pond reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
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. Koi Pond reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
Color Details
Koi Pond vs Soulful Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Koi Pond on one side and Soulful Blue 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 Koi Pond comparisons
See how Koi Pond stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 44), opening up a space where Koi Pond encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (52 vs 44) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 30, Koi Pond is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 44, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 44), opening up a space where Koi Pond encloses it.
Koi Pond reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 44 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 44 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 44, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 44), opening up a space where Koi Pond encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 44), opening up a space where Koi Pond encloses it.
Koi Pond reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Koi Pond reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 44), opening up a space where Koi Pond encloses it.
Koi Pond reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 45 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 44 vs 31, Koi Pond is decisively the brighter choice.