Cool Ashes vs Hicks' Blue
Where Cool Ashes belongs to Behr's range, Hicks' Blue is a Little Greene color. Cool Ashes reads as grey, while Hicks' Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Cool Ashes has an LRV of 29. Cool Ashes runs yellow while Hicks' Blue is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 27.3, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cool Ashes vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Cool Ashes and Hicks' Blue in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Cool Ashes vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cool Ashes on one side and Hicks' Blue 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 Cool Ashes comparisons
See how Cool Ashes stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 29, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 29), opening up a space where Cool Ashes encloses it.
Cool Ashes reflects far more light (LRV 29 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 29, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 30 vs 29), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 29), opening up a space where Cool Ashes encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 29, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 29), opening up a space where Cool Ashes encloses it.
With LRVs of 29 and 27, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 43 vs 29, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 29 vs 4, Cool Ashes is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 29), opening up a space where Cool Ashes encloses it.
Cool Ashes reflects far more light (LRV 29 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 29), opening up a space where Cool Ashes encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 29, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (29 vs 21) makes Cool Ashes the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 29), opening up a space where Cool Ashes encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 29), opening up a space where Cool Ashes encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 29), opening up a space where Cool Ashes encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 29, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Ashes reflects far more light (LRV 29 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Cool Ashes reflects far more light (LRV 29 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 29), opening up a space where Cool Ashes encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 29, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Ashes reflects far more light (LRV 29 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 29), opening up a space where Cool Ashes encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 29), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 29 vs 7, Cool Ashes is decisively the brighter choice.