Distant Gray vs Hicks' Blue
Where Distant Gray belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Hicks' Blue is a Little Greene color. Hue-wise, Distant Gray belongs to the green-grey family and Hicks' Blue to the blue family. Distant Gray has an LRV of 88. Distant Gray runs green while Hicks' Blue is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 60.9, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Distant Gray vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Distant Gray 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.
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.
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. 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
Distant Gray vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Distant Gray 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 Distant Gray comparisons
See how Distant Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 69), opening up a space where Ammonite encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (88 vs 83) makes Distant Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 88 vs 6, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 88 vs 52, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 88 vs 58, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 27, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 88 vs 55, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 13, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 44, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Distant Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 88 vs 84), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 88 vs 66, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 74, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (88 vs 83) makes Distant Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 51), opening up a space where Pigeon encloses it.
At LRV 88 vs 12, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 8, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 68, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 88 vs 12, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 45, Distant Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Distant Gray reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.