Ocean Abyss vs Poolside Blue
Ocean Abyss (Behr) and Poolside Blue (Benjamin Moore) come from different manufacturers. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. The 33-point LRV gap — 40 for Poolside Blue vs 7 for Ocean Abyss — means Poolside Blue will open up a space more effectively. Both share a blue character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 42.1 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.
Ocean Abyss vs Poolside Blue in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Ocean Abyss and Poolside 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. Poolside Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Poolside Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Poolside Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Ocean Abyss would.
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. Poolside Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Poolside Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Ocean Abyss.
Color Details
Ocean Abyss vs Poolside Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Ocean Abyss on one side and Poolside 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 Ocean Abyss comparisons
See how Ocean Abyss stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
