Mountain Air vs Refuge
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Mountain Air reads as blue-grey, while Refuge reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Mountain Air (LRV 73) reflects noticeably more light than Refuge (LRV 19), a difference of 54 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 39.1, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Mountain Air vs Refuge in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Mountain Air and Refuge in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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. Mountain Air returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Mountain Air vs Refuge Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mountain Air on one side and Refuge 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 Mountain Air comparisons
See how Mountain Air stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
