Underwater vs Hardwick White
Where Underwater belongs to Behr's range, Hardwick White is a Farrow & Ball color. Underwater reads as blue-grey, while Hardwick White reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Hardwick White (LRV 44) reflects noticeably more light than Underwater (LRV 11), a difference of 33 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Underwater runs blue while Hardwick White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 34.7, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Underwater vs Hardwick White in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Underwater and Hardwick White 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. The LRV gap is large enough that Hardwick White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Underwater would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Underwater.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Hardwick White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Hardwick White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Underwater would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Underwater.
Color Details
Underwater vs Hardwick White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Underwater on one side and Hardwick White 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 Underwater comparisons
See how Underwater stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 11), opening up a space where Underwater encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 11, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (11 vs 6) makes Underwater the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 11), opening up a space where Underwater encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 11), opening up a space where Underwater encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 11, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 11), opening up a space where Underwater encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 11, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 11, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 11), opening up a space where Underwater encloses it.
Underwater reads slightly lighter (LRV 11 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 11, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 13 vs 11), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 11), opening up a space where Underwater encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 11), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 11, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 11, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 11, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 11), opening up a space where Underwater encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 11), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 11 vs 8), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 11, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 11), opening up a space where Underwater encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 11), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 11, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 11), opening up a space where Underwater encloses it.
Underwater reads slightly lighter (LRV 11 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.