Obsidian vs Naval
Obsidian is a PPG color while Naval comes from Sherwin-Williams. Hue-wise, Obsidian belongs to the blue-grey family and Naval to the blue family. At LRV 8 vs 4, Obsidian will read as the brighter of the two — a 4-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. At ΔE 10.5, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Obsidian vs Naval in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Obsidian and Naval 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Obsidian has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The brightness difference is modest but present — Obsidian gives the walls a little more lift.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The brightness difference is modest but present — Obsidian gives the walls a little more lift.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. Obsidian reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The brightness difference is modest but present — Obsidian gives the walls a little more lift.
Home Office
In a home office, wall color sits in your peripheral vision for hours at a time, so temperature and undertone matter more than you might expect. The brightness difference is modest but present — Obsidian gives the walls a little more lift.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The brightness difference is modest but present — Obsidian gives the walls a little more lift.
Front Door
Front doors are seen in isolation against the rest of the facade, which makes them a high-stakes surface where even subtle differences matter. Obsidian has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Obsidian vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Obsidian on one side and Naval 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 Obsidian comparisons
See how Obsidian stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 8, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 8), opening up a space where Obsidian encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 8), opening up a space where Obsidian encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 8), opening up a space where Obsidian encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 8, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 8, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 8), opening up a space where Obsidian encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 8, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 8, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 8), opening up a space where Obsidian encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 8, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 8, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (12 vs 8) makes Pewter Green the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 8 vs 8), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 8, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (12 vs 8) makes Vintage Vogue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 8, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 8), opening up a space where Obsidian encloses it.
With LRVs of 8 and 7, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.