Amherst Gray vs Dix Blue
Where Amherst Gray belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Dix Blue is a Farrow & Ball color. Amherst Gray reads as grey, while Dix Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Dix Blue (LRV 41) reflects noticeably more light than Amherst Gray (LRV 19), a difference of 22 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Amherst Gray runs yellow while Dix Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 22.1, 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 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Amherst Gray vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Amherst Gray and Dix 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. The LRV gap is large enough that Dix Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Amherst Gray 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. Dix Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Amherst Gray.
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. Dix Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Dix Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Amherst Gray.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Dix Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Amherst Gray.
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 Dix Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Amherst Gray would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Dix Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Amherst Gray.
Color Details
Amherst Gray vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Amherst Gray on one side and Dix 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 Amherst Gray comparisons
See how Amherst Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 19, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
At LRV 19 vs 6, Amherst Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 19), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 19, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 19, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (27 vs 19) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
Amherst Gray reflects far more light (LRV 19 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 19, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (19 vs 13) makes Amherst Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 19, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
With LRVs of 21 and 19, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 66 vs 19, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 19, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 19, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (19 vs 12) makes Amherst Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 19, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
Treron reads slightly lighter (LRV 25 vs 19), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 7-point LRV gap (19 vs 12) makes Amherst Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 19, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
Amherst Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 19 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 19), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.