Flannel Gray vs Hicks' Blue
Where Flannel Gray belongs to Behr's range, Hicks' Blue is a Little Greene color. Flannel Gray reads as grey, while Hicks' Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Flannel Gray has an LRV of 42. Flannel Gray runs red while Hicks' Blue is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 15.1, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Flannel Gray vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Flannel Gray 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Flannel Gray vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Flannel Gray 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 Flannel Gray comparisons
See how Flannel Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 42, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 42), opening up a space where Flannel Gray encloses it.
Flannel Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (52 vs 42) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
A 12-point LRV gap (42 vs 30) makes Flannel Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 42), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 42, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 42), opening up a space where Flannel Gray encloses it.
Flannel Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 43 vs 42), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 42 vs 4, Flannel Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 42), opening up a space where Flannel Gray encloses it.
Flannel Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
With LRVs of 44 and 42, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 42, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 42 vs 21, Flannel Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 42), opening up a space where Flannel Gray encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 42), opening up a space where Flannel Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 42), opening up a space where Flannel Gray encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (51 vs 42) makes Pigeon the marginally brighter of the two.
Flannel Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Flannel Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 42), opening up a space where Flannel Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 42 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Flannel Gray reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 42), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (42 vs 31) makes Flannel Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 42 vs 7, Flannel Gray is decisively the brighter choice.