Magnetic Gray vs Sea Salt
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Magnetic Gray belongs to the grey family and Sea Salt to the green-grey family. Sea Salt (LRV 63) reflects noticeably more light than Magnetic Gray (LRV 46), a difference of 18 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean neutral, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 10.4, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Magnetic Gray vs Sea Salt in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Magnetic Gray and Sea Salt 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 Sea Salt will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Magnetic Gray would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Sea Salt reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Magnetic Gray.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Sea Salt returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Sea Salt reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Magnetic Gray.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Sea Salt will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Magnetic Gray would.
Color Details
Magnetic Gray vs Sea Salt Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Magnetic Gray on one side and Sea Salt 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.