Icy vs Upward
Icy and Upward come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 56 vs 57 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Both share a cool character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 2.4 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Icy vs Upward in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Icy and Upward 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.
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.
Color Details
Icy vs Upward Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Icy on one side and Upward 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 Icy comparisons
See how Icy stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 56), opening up a space where Icy encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (56 vs 52) makes Icy the marginally brighter of the two.
A 4-point LRV gap (60 vs 56) makes Agreeable Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 58 and 56, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Icy reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
With LRVs of 56 and 55, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Icy reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 56, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 56), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 56), opening up a space where Icy encloses it.
Icy reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Icy reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 56), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Icy reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Icy reads slightly lighter (LRV 56 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 56 vs 31, Icy is decisively the brighter choice.