Steep Cliff Gray vs Dix Blue
Steep Cliff Gray (Benjamin Moore) and Dix Blue (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 20-point LRV gap — 41 for Dix Blue vs 21 for Steep Cliff Gray — means Dix Blue will open up a space more effectively. Where Steep Cliff Gray leans blue, Dix Blue reads cool — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 19.6 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Steep Cliff Gray vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Steep Cliff Gray and Dix 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
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. Dix Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Steep Cliff Gray.
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. Dix Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Dix Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Steep Cliff Gray would.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Dix Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Dix Blue returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Steep Cliff Gray vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steep Cliff Gray on one side and Dix 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 Steep Cliff Gray comparisons
See how Steep Cliff Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 21, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
At LRV 21 vs 6, Steep Cliff Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 21, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 21, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (27 vs 21) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
Steep Cliff Gray reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 21, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (21 vs 13) makes Steep Cliff Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 21, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
With LRVs of 21 and 21, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 66 vs 21, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 21, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 21, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (21 vs 12) makes Steep Cliff Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 21, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
Treron reads slightly lighter (LRV 25 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 9-point LRV gap (21 vs 12) makes Steep Cliff Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 21, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Steep Cliff Gray reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.