Naval vs Pussywillow
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Naval belongs to the blue family and Pussywillow to the greige-grey family. Pussywillow (LRV 42) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 38 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Naval runs cool while Pussywillow is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 48.6, 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 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Naval vs Pussywillow in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Naval and Pussywillow 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 Pussywillow will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval 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. Pussywillow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Pussywillow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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. Pussywillow 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. Pussywillow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Pussywillow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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. Pussywillow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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 Pussywillow will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval would.
Color Details
Naval vs Pussywillow Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Naval on one side and Pussywillow 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 Naval comparisons
See how Naval stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 4, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 4, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 4, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 4, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 4, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 4, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 4, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (12 vs 4) makes Pewter Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 4, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (12 vs 4) makes Vintage Vogue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 4, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
With LRVs of 7 and 4, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Cement grey reflects far more light (LRV 24 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.