Popular Gray vs Soulful Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Popular Gray reads as beige-greige, while Soulful Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Popular Gray (LRV 61) reflects noticeably more light than Soulful Blue (LRV 20), a difference of 41 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Popular Gray runs warm while Soulful Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 35.1, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Popular Gray vs Soulful Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Popular 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.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Popular Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
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. Popular Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
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. Popular Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
Color Details
Popular Gray vs Soulful Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Popular 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 Popular Gray comparisons
See how Popular Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 61), opening up a space where Popular Gray encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (69 vs 61) makes Ammonite the marginally brighter of the two.
Popular Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (61 vs 52) makes Popular Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 61 vs 30, Popular Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Popular Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 61 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 61 vs 60), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Popular Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 61 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Popular Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 61 vs 43, Popular Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 61 vs 4, Popular Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Popular Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 61 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Popular Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Popular Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 61, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 61 vs 21, Popular Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 61), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 61), opening up a space where Popular Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 61), opening up a space where Popular Gray encloses it.
Popular Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 61), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 61 vs 41, Popular Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (68 vs 61) makes Calamine the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 61 vs 25, Popular Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Popular Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Popular Gray reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 61 vs 31, Popular Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 61 vs 7, Popular Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 61 vs 24, Popular Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (61 vs 57) makes Popular Gray the marginally brighter of the two.