Moonmist vs Rare Gray
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Moonmist belongs to the blue family and Rare Gray to the grey family. Moonmist (LRV 68) reflects noticeably more light than Rare Gray (LRV 38), a difference of 30 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Moonmist runs cool while Rare Gray is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 21.1, 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.
Moonmist vs Rare Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Moonmist and Rare Gray 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. Moonmist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rare 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. Moonmist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Rare Gray.
Color Details
Moonmist vs Rare Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Moonmist on one side and Rare 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 Moonmist comparisons
See how Moonmist stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 68, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Moonmist reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Moonmist reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Moonmist reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 10-point LRV gap (68 vs 58) makes Moonmist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 27, Moonmist is decisively the brighter choice.
Moonmist reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 68 vs 55, Moonmist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 44, Moonmist is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 68), opening up a space where Moonmist encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 7-point LRV gap (74 vs 68) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Moonmist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 8, Moonmist is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 68), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Moonmist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 45, Moonmist is decisively the brighter choice.
Moonmist reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.