Essex Blue vs Calamine
Essex Blue is a Behr color while Calamine comes from Farrow & Ball. Hue-wise, Essex Blue belongs to the blue family and Calamine to the pink-red family. At LRV 68 vs 56, Calamine will read as the brighter of the two — a 12-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. The tonal difference — Essex Blue's blue character against Calamine's warm — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 20.8, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Essex Blue vs Calamine in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Essex Blue and Calamine 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Calamine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Calamine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Essex Blue would.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The LRV gap is large enough that Calamine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Essex Blue would.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Calamine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Essex Blue would.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The LRV gap is large enough that Calamine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Essex Blue would.
Color Details
Essex Blue vs Calamine Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Essex Blue on one side and Calamine 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 Essex Blue comparisons
See how Essex Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 56, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 56), opening up a space where Essex Blue encloses it.
At LRV 56 vs 6, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Essex Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 56 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (56 vs 52) makes Essex Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 56), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 56), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 56 vs 27, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 56 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 56 vs 13, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 44, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 56), opening up a space where Essex Blue encloses it.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (66 vs 56) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 56, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 56, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 12, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 56, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 56 vs 12, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (56 vs 45) makes Essex Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 57 and 56, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 56), opening up a space where Essex Blue encloses it.