Blue Note vs Thousand Oceans

Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Hue-wise, Blue Note belongs to the blue-grey family and Thousand Oceans to the blue family. Thousand Oceans (LRV 18) reflects noticeably more light than Blue Note (LRV 9), a difference of 9 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean blue, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 16.7, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Blue Note vs Thousand Oceans in Real Spaces

2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Blue Note and Thousand Oceans 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 Thousand Oceans will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Blue Note would.

Blue NoteBenjamin Moore 2129-30 living room paint

@thebuzzardfamily

Thousand OceansBenjamin Moore Thousand Oceans living room paint

@jilllewisarchitecture

Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Thousand Oceans reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Blue Note.

Blue NoteBenjamin Moore 2129-30 kitchen cabinets paint

@fwfix7

Thousand OceansBenjamin Moore Thousand Oceans kitchen cabinets color

@thepaintspotcos

Color Details

Blue Note
Benjamin Moore · 2129-30
Hex#404B54
LRV9.0
BrandBenjamin Moore
Number2129-30
UndertoneBlue
TemperatureCool
BrightnessDark
Thousand Oceans
Benjamin Moore · 1645
Hex#5E7480
LRV17.6
BrandBenjamin Moore
Number1645
UndertoneBlue
TemperatureCool
BrightnessDark

Blue Note vs Thousand Oceans Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Note on one side and Thousand Oceans on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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 Blue Note comparisons

See how Blue Note stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

White Dove
Blue Note
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
White Dove
LRV 83

White Dove is the lighter choice

Ammonite
Blue Note
Ammonite
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

Ammonite is the lighter choice

Iron Ore
Blue Note
Iron Ore
Sherwin-Williams
Iron Ore
LRV 6

Blue Note reads slightly lighter

Purbeck Stone
Blue Note
Purbeck Stone
Farrow & Ball
Purbeck Stone
LRV 52

Purbeck Stone is the lighter choice

Evergreen Fog
Blue Note
Evergreen Fog
Sherwin-Williams
Evergreen Fog
LRV 30

Evergreen Fog reads noticeably lighter

Mizzle
Blue Note
Mizzle
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

Mizzle is the lighter choice

Agreeable Gray
Blue Note
Agreeable Gray
Sherwin-Williams
Agreeable Gray
LRV 60

Agreeable Gray is the lighter choice

Denim Drift
Blue Note
Denim Drift
Dulux
Denim Drift
LRV 27

Denim Drift reads noticeably lighter

Tranquil Dawn
Blue Note
Tranquil Dawn
Dulux
Tranquil Dawn
LRV 55

Tranquil Dawn is the lighter choice

Balboa Mist
Blue Note
Balboa Mist
Benjamin Moore
Balboa Mist
LRV 66

Balboa Mist is the lighter choice

Vintage Vogue
Blue Note
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Vintage Vogue
LRV 12

Nearly identical in tone

Pale Green
Blue Note
Pale Green
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

Pale Green reads noticeably lighter

Pine Needle
Blue Note
Pine Needle
Dulux
Pine Needle
LRV 7

Nearly identical in tone

Cement grey
Blue Note
Cement grey
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

Cement grey reads noticeably lighter

Black grey
Blue Note
Black grey
RAL ClassicClassic
Black grey
LRV 6

Nearly identical in tone

Piazza
Blue Note
Piazza
Tikkurila
Piazza
LRV 65

Piazza is the lighter choice

Humble Yellow
Blue Note
Humble Yellow
Jotun
Humble Yellow
LRV 57

Humble Yellow is the lighter choice

Windmill Lane
Blue Note
Windmill Lane
Little Greene
Windmill Lane
LRV 31

Windmill Lane reads noticeably lighter

Senses
Blue Note
Senses
Jotun
Senses
LRV 41

Senses is the lighter choice

Lamp Black
Blue Note
Lamp Black
Little Greene
Lamp Black
LRV 3

Blue Note reads slightly lighter

Washed Linen
Blue Note
Washed Linen
Jotun
Washed Linen
LRV 55

Washed Linen is the lighter choice

Tea with Florence
Blue Note
Tea with Florence
Little Greene
Tea with Florence
LRV 18

Tea with Florence reads slightly lighter

Thames Fog
Blue Note
Thames Fog
Valspar
Thames Fog
LRV 27

Thames Fog reads noticeably lighter

Ocean Abyss
Blue Note
Ocean Abyss
Behr
Ocean Abyss
LRV 7

Nearly identical in tone

Classic Silver
Blue Note
Classic Silver
Behr
Classic Silver
LRV 48

Classic Silver is the lighter choice

Teton Blue
Blue Note
Teton Blue
Behr
Teton Blue
LRV 31

Teton Blue reads noticeably lighter

RAL 110-2
Blue Note
RAL 110-2
RAL EffectEffect
RAL 110-2
LRV 72

RAL 110-2 is the lighter choice

RAL 110-1
Blue Note
RAL 110-1
RAL EffectEffect
RAL 110-1
LRV 80

RAL 110-1 is the lighter choice

Paper
Blue Note
Paper
Tikkurila
Paper
LRV 88

Paper is the lighter choice

Passageway
Blue Note
Passageway
Valspar
Passageway
LRV 14

Passageway reads slightly lighter