Buxton Blue vs Skimming Stone

Buxton Blue (Benjamin Moore) and Skimming Stone (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Buxton Blue reads as blue, while Skimming Stone reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 23-point LRV gap — 68 for Skimming Stone vs 45 for Buxton Blue — means Skimming Stone will open up a space more effectively. Where Buxton Blue leans blue, Skimming Stone reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 19.9 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Buxton Blue vs Skimming Stone in Real Spaces

3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Buxton Blue and Skimming Stone 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

A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Skimming Stone reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Buxton Blue.

Buxton BlueBenjamin Moore Buxton Blue living room interior

@lifestylesmith

Skimming StoneFarrow and Ball Skimming Stone 241 living room

@crosspool_eclectic

Bedroom

Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Skimming Stone returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

Buxton BlueBenjamin Moore HC-149 bedroom paint review

@hausworthy

Skimming StoneFarrow and Ball Skimming Stone 241 bedroom

@theedinburghtenement

Kitchen Cabinets

Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. Skimming Stone returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.

Buxton BlueBenjamin Moore Buxton Blue kitchen cabinets color

@kenorah.design.build

Skimming StoneFarrow and Ball Skimming Stone 241 kitchen cabinets

@therichardshome23

Color Details

Buxton Blue
Benjamin Moore · HC-149
Hex#9DB6BA
LRV45.0
BrandBenjamin Moore
NumberHC-149
UndertoneBlue
TemperatureCool
BrightnessMedium
Skimming Stone
Farrow & Ball · 241
Hex#dfd6cb
LRV68.1
BrandFarrow & Ball
Number241
Undertone
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessLight

Buxton Blue vs Skimming Stone Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Buxton Blue on one side and Skimming Stone 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 Buxton Blue comparisons

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

Buxton Blue
White Dove
Buxton Blue
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 45), opening up a space where Buxton Blue encloses it.

Buxton Blue
Ammonite
Buxton Blue
Ammonite
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

At LRV 69 vs 45, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Iron Ore
Buxton Blue
Iron Ore
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

Buxton Blue reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.

Buxton Blue
Purbeck Stone
Buxton Blue
Purbeck Stone
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

A 7-point LRV gap (52 vs 45) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.

Buxton Blue
Evergreen Fog
Buxton Blue
Evergreen Fog
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

At LRV 45 vs 30, Buxton Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Mizzle
Buxton Blue
Mizzle
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Buxton Blue
Agreeable Gray
Buxton Blue
Agreeable Gray
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

At LRV 60 vs 45, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Accessible Beige
Buxton Blue
Accessible Beige
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 45), opening up a space where Buxton Blue encloses it.

Buxton Blue
Denim Drift
Buxton Blue
Denim Drift
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

Buxton Blue reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.

Buxton Blue
French Gray
Buxton Blue
French Gray
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.

Buxton Blue
Naval
Buxton Blue
Naval
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

At LRV 45 vs 4, Buxton Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Tranquil Dawn
Buxton Blue
Tranquil Dawn
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Buxton Blue
Bancha
Buxton Blue
Bancha
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13

Buxton Blue reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.

Buxton Blue
Hardwick White
Buxton Blue
Hardwick White
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

With LRVs of 45 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.

Buxton Blue
Pure White
Buxton Blue
Pure White
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

At LRV 84 vs 45, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Artichoke
Buxton Blue
Artichoke
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21

At LRV 45 vs 21, Buxton Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Balboa Mist
Buxton Blue
Balboa Mist
Buxton Blue
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 45), opening up a space where Buxton Blue encloses it.

Buxton Blue
Shoji White
Buxton Blue
Shoji White
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 45), opening up a space where Buxton Blue encloses it.

Buxton Blue
Snowbound
Buxton Blue
Snowbound
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 45), opening up a space where Buxton Blue encloses it.

Buxton Blue
Pewter Green
Buxton Blue
Pewter Green
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

Buxton Blue reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.

Buxton Blue
Dix Blue
Buxton Blue vs Dix Blue
Buxton Blue
Dix Blue
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41

A 4-point LRV gap (45 vs 41) makes Buxton Blue the marginally brighter of the two.

Buxton Blue
Calamine
Buxton Blue
Calamine
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
Farrow & Ball
Calamine
LRV 68

At LRV 68 vs 45, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Treron
Buxton Blue
Treron
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
Farrow & Ball
Treron
LRV 25

At LRV 45 vs 25, Buxton Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Vintage Vogue
Buxton Blue
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

Buxton Blue reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.

Buxton Blue
Saybrook Sage
Buxton Blue
Saybrook Sage
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

With LRVs of 45 and 45, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.

Buxton Blue
Pale Green
Buxton Blue
Pale Green
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

At LRV 45 vs 31, Buxton Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Pine Needle
Buxton Blue
Pine Needle
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

At LRV 45 vs 7, Buxton Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Cement grey
Buxton Blue
Cement grey
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

At LRV 45 vs 24, Buxton Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Guilford Green
Buxton Blue
Guilford Green
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

At LRV 57 vs 45, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.

Buxton Blue
Just Walnut
Buxton Blue
Just Walnut
Benjamin Moore
Buxton Blue
HC-149 · LRV 45

At LRV 72 vs 45, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.