Sea Salt vs Upward
Sea Salt and Upward come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Hue-wise, Sea Salt belongs to the green-grey family and Upward to the blue family. The 6-point LRV gap — 63 for Sea Salt vs 57 for Upward — means Sea Salt will open up a space more effectively. Where Sea Salt leans neutral, Upward reads cool — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. ΔE 8.7 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 9 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Sea Salt vs Upward in Real Spaces
9 real rooms side by side. Sea Salt and Upward are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Sea Salt reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Sea Salt has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Sea Salt has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Sea Salt has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Sea Salt has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The brightness difference is modest but present — Sea Salt gives the walls a little more lift.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Sea Salt has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Sea Salt reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. Sea Salt has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Sea Salt vs Upward Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sea Salt on one side and Upward 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.
