Smoky Azurite vs Truly Taupe
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Smoky Azurite reads as blue, while Truly Taupe reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Truly Taupe (LRV 35) reflects noticeably more light than Smoky Azurite (LRV 25), a difference of 10 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Smoky Azurite runs cool while Truly Taupe is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 22.4, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Smoky Azurite vs Truly Taupe in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Smoky Azurite 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.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Truly Taupe will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Smoky Azurite would.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Truly Taupe reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smoky Azurite.
Color Details
Smoky Azurite vs Truly Taupe Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smoky Azurite 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.
More Smoky Azurite comparisons
See how Smoky Azurite stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
