Balboa Mist (BM 1549) vs Drift of Mist (SW 9166)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Drift of Mist, LRV 69 vs 65.5.
- Warmer
- Balboa Mist, both greige (Lab b* 5.4 vs 4.4).
- North rooms
- Drift of Mist drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.3 vs 3.9); both keep about the same brightness.
- Trim that works
- Pink Damask BM 890, #F6F0E7, LRV 85.5: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 1.1, very close. At 1.1, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
More comparisons with Drift of Mist
Balboa Mist (BM 1549) is slightly darker than Drift of Mist (SW 9166) and slightly warmer: LRV 65.5 vs 69, deltaE 1.1 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Balboa Mist | Drift of Mist | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | 1549 | SW 9166 | |
| Hex | #DAD6CC | #DCD8D0 | |
| RGB | 218, 214, 204 | 220, 216, 208 | |
| HSL | 43°, 16%, 83% | 40°, 15%, 84% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 65.5 | 69 | −3.5 |
| Lab L* | 85.7 | 86.5 | −0.8 |
| Lab a* | -0.4 | 0.0 | −0.4 |
| Lab b* | 5.4 | 4.4 | +1.0 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | neutral | |
| Color family | Greige | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Balboa Mist (BM 1549), published as #DAD6CC
#C9CCCA
#ECE0CC
Drift of Mist (SW 9166), published as #DCD8D0
#CBCECE
#EEE2D0
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Which should you pick
Rules of thumb computed from the LRV and Lab values in the table above; no room test was done.
- Pick Drift of Mist (SW 9166) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 3.5 LRV points lighter (69 vs 65.5), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Drift of Mist (SW 9166) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 4.4 against 5.4, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Balboa Mist (BM 1549) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 5.4), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Balboa Mist in other brands
Closest matches to Drift of Mist in other brands
Common questions
- Is Balboa Mist the same color as Drift of Mist?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 1.1. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Balboa Mist and Drift of Mist.
- Which is lighter, Balboa Mist or Drift of Mist?
- Drift of Mist, with an LRV of 69 against 65.5.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Balboa Mist: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02); Drift of Mist: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.