Deep Breath vs Hicks' Blue
Deep Breath (Behr) and Hicks' Blue (Little Greene) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Deep Breath has an LRV of 9. Both share a blue character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 25.0 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Deep Breath vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Deep Breath 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.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Deep Breath vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Deep Breath 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 Deep Breath comparisons
See how Deep Breath stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 9), opening up a space where Deep Breath encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 9, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (9 vs 6) makes Deep Breath the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 9), opening up a space where Deep Breath encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 9), opening up a space where Deep Breath encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 9), opening up a space where Deep Breath encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 9, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 9, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 9), opening up a space where Deep Breath encloses it.
Deep Breath reads slightly lighter (LRV 9 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 9, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (13 vs 9) makes Bancha the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 9, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 9), opening up a space where Deep Breath encloses it.
Artichoke reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 9), opening up a space where Deep Breath encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 9, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 9, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 9, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 9), opening up a space where Deep Breath encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 9), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 9 vs 8), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 9, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 9), opening up a space where Deep Breath encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 9), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 9, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 9), opening up a space where Deep Breath encloses it.
With LRVs of 9 and 7, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.