Tinsel vs Dew Drop
Tinsel (PPG) and Dew Drop (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. These are both blue-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue-grey to land. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 68 vs 70 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 1.5 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Tinsel vs Dew Drop in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Tinsel and Dew Drop 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.
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
Tinsel vs Dew Drop Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Tinsel on one side and Dew Drop 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 Tinsel comparisons
See how Tinsel stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 68, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Tinsel reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Tinsel reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Tinsel reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 10-point LRV gap (68 vs 58) makes Tinsel the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 27, Tinsel is decisively the brighter choice.
Tinsel reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 68 vs 55, Tinsel is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 44, Tinsel is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 68), opening up a space where Tinsel encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 6-point LRV gap (74 vs 68) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Tinsel is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 8, Tinsel is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 68), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Tinsel is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 45, Tinsel is decisively the brighter choice.
Tinsel reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.