Blue Nova vs Buttercup
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Hue-wise, Blue Nova belongs to the blue family and Buttercup to the beige family. Buttercup (LRV 39) reflects noticeably more light than Blue Nova (LRV 17), a difference of 22 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Blue Nova runs blue while Buttercup is decidedly red, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 77.5, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Blue Nova vs Buttercup in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Blue Nova and Buttercup 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 Buttercup will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Blue Nova would.
Color Details
Blue Nova vs Buttercup Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Nova on one side and Buttercup 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 Blue Nova comparisons
See how Blue Nova stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
