Popular Gray vs Passageway
Popular Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color while Passageway comes from Valspar. Hue-wise, Popular Gray belongs to the beige-greige family and Passageway to the blue-grey family. At LRV 61 vs 14, Popular Gray will read as the brighter of the two — a 47-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. At ΔE 40.8, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Popular Gray vs Passageway in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Popular Gray and Passageway 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Popular Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Popular Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Passageway would.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Popular Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Passageway would.
Color Details
Popular Gray vs Passageway Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Popular Gray on one side and Passageway 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.
