Santo vs Balanced
Santo (Cloverdale Paint) and Balanced (PPG) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Santo belongs to the greige-grey family and Balanced to the grey family. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 66 vs 65 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 2.0 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Santo vs Balanced in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Santo and Balanced 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Santo vs Balanced Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Santo on one side and Balanced 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 Santo comparisons
See how Santo stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 66, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Santo reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Santo reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Santo reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 8-point LRV gap (66 vs 58) makes Santo the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 66 vs 27, Santo is decisively the brighter choice.
Santo reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (66 vs 55) makes Santo the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 66 vs 44, Santo is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 66), opening up a space where Santo encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 8-point LRV gap (74 vs 66) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 66 vs 12, Santo is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 66 vs 12, Santo is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 45, Santo is decisively the brighter choice.
Santo reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.