Gentle Gray vs Hicks' Blue
Where Gentle Gray belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Hicks' Blue is a Little Greene color. Gentle Gray reads as blue-grey, while Hicks' Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Gentle Gray has an LRV of 57. Both lean blue, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 45.1, 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.
Gentle Gray vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Gentle 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.
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.
Color Details
Gentle Gray vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gentle 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 Gentle Gray comparisons
See how Gentle Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 83 vs 57, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 6, Gentle Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Gentle Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 57 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Gentle Gray reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (57 vs 52) makes Gentle Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 57), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 57 vs 27, Gentle Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Gentle Gray reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Gentle Gray reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 57 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 57 vs 13, Gentle Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 44, Gentle Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 57), opening up a space where Gentle Gray encloses it.
Gentle Gray reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (66 vs 57) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 57, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 57, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Gentle Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 57 vs 51), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 57 vs 12, Gentle Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 8, Gentle Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (68 vs 57) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
Gentle Gray reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 57 vs 12, Gentle Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (57 vs 45) makes Gentle Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Gentle Gray reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Gentle Gray reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.