African Queen vs Hicks' Blue
African Queen (Cloverdale Paint) and Hicks' Blue (Little Greene) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, African Queen belongs to the beige-greige family and Hicks' Blue to the blue family. African Queen has an LRV of 13. A ΔE of 27.1 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.
African Queen vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing African Queen 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
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
African Queen vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see African Queen 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 African Queen comparisons
See how African Queen stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 13), opening up a space where African Queen encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 13, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (13 vs 6) makes African Queen the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 13), opening up a space where African Queen encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 13), opening up a space where African Queen encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 13, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 13), opening up a space where African Queen encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 13, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 13, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 13), opening up a space where African Queen encloses it.
African Queen reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 13, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 13 vs 13), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 44 vs 13, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 13), opening up a space where African Queen encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 13, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 13, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 13, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 13), opening up a space where African Queen encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 13 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 5-point LRV gap (13 vs 8) makes African Queen the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 13, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 13), opening up a space where African Queen encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 13 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 13, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 13), opening up a space where African Queen encloses it.
African Queen reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.