Rice Grain vs Soulful Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Rice Grain reads as beige, while Soulful Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Rice Grain (LRV 64) reflects noticeably more light than Soulful Blue (LRV 20), a difference of 43 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Rice Grain 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 40.4, 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.
Rice Grain vs Soulful Blue in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Rice Grain 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.
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. Rice Grain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Soulful Blue.
Color Details
Rice Grain vs Soulful Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Rice Grain 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 Rice Grain comparisons
See how Rice Grain stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 5-point LRV gap (69 vs 64) makes Ammonite the marginally brighter of the two.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 64), opening up a space where Rice Grain encloses it.
Rice Grain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (64 vs 52) makes Rice Grain the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 64 vs 30, Rice Grain is decisively the brighter choice.
Rice Grain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (64 vs 60) makes Rice Grain the marginally brighter of the two.
Rice Grain reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Rice Grain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 43, Rice Grain is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 4, Rice Grain is decisively the brighter choice.
Rice Grain reads slightly lighter (LRV 64 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Rice Grain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Rice Grain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 64, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 64 vs 21, Rice Grain is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 66 and 64, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Shoji White reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 64), opening up a space where Rice Grain encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 51, Rice Grain is decisively the brighter choice.
Rice Grain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Rice Grain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 64), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 64 vs 41, Rice Grain is decisively the brighter choice.
Rice Grain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Rice Grain reflects far more light (LRV 64 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 64 vs 31, Rice Grain is decisively the brighter choice.