Serious Gray vs Truly Taupe
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Serious Gray reads as blue-grey, while Truly Taupe reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Truly Taupe (LRV 35) reflects noticeably more light than Serious Gray (LRV 23), a difference of 13 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Serious Gray runs neutral while Truly Taupe is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 16.0, 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.
Serious Gray vs Truly Taupe in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Serious Gray and Truly Taupe 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. Truly Taupe reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Serious Gray.
Color Details
Serious Gray vs Truly Taupe Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Serious Gray on one side and Truly Taupe 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.