Smoky Blue vs Passageway
Smoky Blue is a Sherwin-Williams color while Passageway comes from Valspar. Smoky Blue reads as blue, while Passageway reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. With LRVs of 15 and 14, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 1.0, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Smoky Blue vs Passageway in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Smoky Blue and Passageway 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
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Smoky Blue vs Passageway Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smoky Blue on one side and Passageway 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 Blue comparisons
See how Smoky Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 15), opening up a space where Smoky Blue encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 15, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (15 vs 6) makes Smoky Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 15), opening up a space where Smoky Blue encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 15), opening up a space where Smoky Blue encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 15, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 15), opening up a space where Smoky Blue encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 15, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 15, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 15), opening up a space where Smoky Blue encloses it.
Smoky Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 15, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 15 vs 13), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 44 vs 15, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 15), opening up a space where Smoky Blue encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 15), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 15, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 15, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 15, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 15), opening up a space where Smoky Blue encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 15 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 6-point LRV gap (15 vs 8) makes Smoky Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 15, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 15), opening up a space where Smoky Blue encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 15 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 15, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 15), opening up a space where Smoky Blue encloses it.