Neutral Ground vs Retreat
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Neutral Ground belongs to the beige family and Retreat to the grey family. Neutral Ground (LRV 70) reflects noticeably more light than Retreat (LRV 21), a difference of 50 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Neutral Ground runs warm while Retreat is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 35.0, 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 9 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Neutral Ground vs Retreat in Real Spaces
9 real rooms side by side. Seeing Neutral Ground and Retreat 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 Neutral Ground will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Retreat 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. Neutral Ground reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Retreat.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Neutral Ground reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Retreat.
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. Neutral Ground 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. Neutral Ground reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Retreat.
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. Neutral Ground reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Retreat.
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. Neutral Ground reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Retreat.
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 Neutral Ground will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Retreat would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Neutral Ground reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Retreat.
Color Details
Neutral Ground vs Retreat Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Neutral Ground on one side and Retreat 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 Neutral Ground comparisons
See how Neutral Ground stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
