Soulful Blue vs Special Gray
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Soulful Blue reads as blue-grey, while Special Gray reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (20 vs 19), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. Soulful Blue runs cool while Special Gray is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. The ΔE 10.0 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Soulful Blue vs Special Gray in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Soulful Blue and Special Gray 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.
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. Special Gray brings more warmth to the space, while Soulful Blue keeps things cooler and crisper.
Color Details
Soulful Blue vs Special Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Soulful Blue on one side and Special 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 Soulful Blue comparisons
See how Soulful Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 20, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 20), opening up a space where Soulful Blue encloses it.
Soulful Blue reflects far more light (LRV 20 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 20, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (30 vs 20) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 20), opening up a space where Soulful Blue encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 20, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 20), opening up a space where Soulful Blue encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 20), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 20, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 20 vs 4, Soulful Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 20), opening up a space where Soulful Blue encloses it.
Soulful Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 20), opening up a space where Soulful Blue encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 20, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 21 vs 20), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 20), opening up a space where Soulful Blue encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 20), opening up a space where Soulful Blue encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 20), opening up a space where Soulful Blue encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 20, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Soulful Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Soulful Blue reflects far more light (LRV 20 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 20), opening up a space where Soulful Blue encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 20, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Soulful Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 20), opening up a space where Soulful Blue encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (31 vs 20) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.