Sea Salt vs Unusual Gray
Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. Sea Salt reads as green-grey, while Unusual Gray reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. At LRV 63 vs 38, Sea Salt will read as the brighter of the two — a 25-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. They share a neutral quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. At ΔE 15.6, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Sea Salt vs Unusual Gray in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Sea Salt and Unusual Gray 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. Sea Salt 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 Sea Salt will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Unusual Gray would.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. Sea Salt reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Unusual Gray.
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 Sea Salt will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Unusual Gray would.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Sea Salt will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Unusual Gray would.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The LRV gap is large enough that Sea Salt will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Unusual Gray would.
Color Details
Sea Salt vs Unusual Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sea Salt on one side and Unusual Gray 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 Sea Salt comparisons
See how Sea Salt stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 63, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Sea Salt reads slightly lighter (LRV 63 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Sea Salt reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
With LRVs of 63 and 60, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 6-point LRV gap (63 vs 58) makes Sea Salt the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 27, Sea Salt is decisively the brighter choice.
Sea Salt reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (63 vs 55) makes Sea Salt the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 44, Sea Salt is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 63), opening up a space where Sea Salt encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 63), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 11-point LRV gap (74 vs 63) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 12, Sea Salt is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (68 vs 63) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 63 vs 12, Sea Salt is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 63 vs 45, Sea Salt is decisively the brighter choice.
Sea Salt reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Sea Salt reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Sea Salt reflects far more light (LRV 63 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Sea Salt reads slightly lighter (LRV 63 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.