Aesthetic White (SW 7035) vs Drift of Mist (SW 9166)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Aesthetic White, LRV 73 vs 69.
- Warmer
- Aesthetic White (Lab b* 5.6 vs 4.4). Aesthetic White reads warm white; Drift of Mist reads greige.
- North rooms
- Aesthetic White keeps more brightness (L* 84.4 vs 82.5 in north light); Drift of Mist drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.3 vs 4.5).
- Trim that works
- White Flour SW 7102, #F4EFE5, LRV 87: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 1.6, very close. At 1.6, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
Aesthetic White
More comparisons with Aesthetic White
Drift of Mist
More comparisons with Drift of Mist
Aesthetic White (SW 7035) is slightly lighter than Drift of Mist (SW 9166) and slightly warmer: LRV 73 vs 69, deltaE 1.6 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Aesthetic White | Drift of Mist | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7035 | SW 9166 | |
| Hex | #E3DDD3 | #DCD8D0 | |
| RGB | 227, 221, 211 | 220, 216, 208 | |
| HSL | 38°, 22%, 86% | 40°, 15%, 84% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 73 | 69 | +4 |
| Lab L* | 88.3 | 86.5 | +1.9 |
| Lab a* | 0.3 | 0.0 | +0.4 |
| Lab b* | 5.6 | 4.4 | +1.2 |
| Undertone | Warm | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | neutral | |
| Color family | Off-white | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Aesthetic White (SW 7035), published as #E3DDD3
#D2D3D1
#F5E7D3
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 Aesthetic White (SW 7035) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 4 LRV points lighter (73 vs 69), 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 5.6, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Aesthetic White (SW 7035) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 5.6), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Aesthetic White in other brands
Closest matches to Drift of Mist in other brands
Common questions
- Is Aesthetic White the same color as Drift of Mist?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 1.6. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Aesthetic White and Drift of Mist.
- Which is lighter, Aesthetic White or Drift of Mist?
- Aesthetic White, with an LRV of 73 against 69.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: 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.