Spare White vs Thames Fog
Where Spare White belongs to Sherwin-Williams's range, Thames Fog is a Valspar color. Hue-wise, Spare White belongs to the greige-white family and Thames Fog to the grey family. Spare White (LRV 77) reflects noticeably more light than Thames Fog (LRV 27), a difference of 50 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 31.4, 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.
Spare White vs Thames Fog in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Spare White and Thames Fog 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 Spare White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Thames Fog 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. Spare White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Thames Fog.
Color Details
Spare White vs Thames Fog Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Spare White on one side and Thames Fog 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 Spare White comparisons
See how Spare White stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
