Arsenic vs Cooled Blue
Arsenic (Farrow & Ball) and Cooled Blue (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Arsenic reads as green, while Cooled Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 4-point LRV gap — 41 for Cooled Blue vs 37 for Arsenic — means Cooled Blue will open up a space more effectively. Both share a cool character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. ΔE 9.2 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Arsenic vs Cooled Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Arsenic and Cooled Blue 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. Cooled Blue reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Cooled Blue has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Cooled Blue has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Arsenic vs Cooled Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Arsenic on one side and Cooled Blue 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 Arsenic comparisons
See how Arsenic stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 37), opening up a space where Arsenic encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 37, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (37 vs 30) makes Arsenic the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 37, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 37), opening up a space where Arsenic encloses it.
Arsenic reads slightly lighter (LRV 37 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (43 vs 37) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 37), opening up a space where Arsenic encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 37), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 37, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 37), opening up a space where Arsenic encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 37), opening up a space where Arsenic encloses it.
Arsenic reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Arsenic reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 37), opening up a space where Arsenic encloses it.
Arsenic reflects far more light (LRV 37 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 37), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (37 vs 31) makes Arsenic the marginally brighter of the two.