Atmospheric vs Hicks' Blue
Where Atmospheric belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Hicks' Blue is a Little Greene color. Atmospheric reads as blue-grey, while Hicks' Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Atmospheric has an LRV of 33. Atmospheric runs green and blue while Hicks' Blue is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 28.8, 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.
Atmospheric vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Atmospheric 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
Atmospheric vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Atmospheric 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 Atmospheric comparisons
See how Atmospheric stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 33), opening up a space where Atmospheric encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 33, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 33 vs 6, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 33), opening up a space where Atmospheric encloses it.
With LRVs of 33 and 30, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 52 vs 33, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 33), opening up a space where Atmospheric encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 33, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (33 vs 27) makes Atmospheric the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 33), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Atmospheric reflects far more light (LRV 33 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 33, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 33 vs 13, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (44 vs 33) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 33), opening up a space where Atmospheric encloses it.
Atmospheric reads slightly lighter (LRV 33 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 33, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 33, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 33, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 33), opening up a space where Atmospheric encloses it.
At LRV 33 vs 12, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 33 vs 8, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 33, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 41 vs 33), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 33 vs 12, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 33, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 33 and 31, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Atmospheric reflects far more light (LRV 33 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.