Nautical Star vs Stardew
Nautical Star (PPG) and Stardew (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 3-point LRV gap — 46 for Nautical Star vs 43 for Stardew — means Nautical Star will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 1.3 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 9 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Nautical Star vs Stardew in Real Spaces
9 real rooms side by side. Nautical Star and Stardew 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.
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.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Patio
Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Nautical Star vs Stardew Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Nautical Star on one side and Stardew 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 Nautical Star comparisons
See how Nautical Star stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 46, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 46), opening up a space where Nautical Star encloses it.
Nautical Star reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (52 vs 46) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 46 vs 30, Nautical Star is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 46), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 46, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 46), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Nautical Star reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 46 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 46 vs 4, Nautical Star is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 46), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Nautical Star reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
With LRVs of 46 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 46, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 46 vs 21, Nautical Star is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 46), opening up a space where Nautical Star encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 46), opening up a space where Nautical Star encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 46), opening up a space where Nautical Star encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (51 vs 46) makes Pigeon the marginally brighter of the two.
Nautical Star reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Nautical Star reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 46), opening up a space where Nautical Star encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (46 vs 41) makes Nautical Star the marginally brighter of the two.
Nautical Star reflects far more light (LRV 46 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 46 and 45, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 46 vs 31, Nautical Star is decisively the brighter choice.