Mineral Gray vs Soulful Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Soulful Blue (LRV 20) reflects noticeably more light than Mineral Gray (LRV 9), a difference of 11 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean cool, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of NaN, 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.
Mineral Gray vs Soulful Blue in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Mineral Gray 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.
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. Soulful Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mineral Gray.
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. Soulful Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mineral Gray.
Color Details
Mineral Gray vs Soulful Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mineral Gray 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 Mineral Gray comparisons
See how Mineral Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
