Back to Basics vs Dix Blue
Back to Basics is a Cloverdale Paint color while Dix Blue comes from Farrow & Ball. Hue-wise, Back to Basics belongs to the beige family and Dix Blue to the blue-grey family. With LRVs of 39 and 41, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. At ΔE 35.4, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Back to Basics vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Back to Basics 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. 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.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. 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.
Color Details
Back to Basics vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Back to Basics 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 Back to Basics comparisons
See how Back to Basics stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 39), opening up a space where Back to Basics encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 39, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 39 vs 6, Back to Basics is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 39), opening up a space where Back to Basics encloses it.
Back to Basics reads slightly lighter (LRV 39 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 39, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 39), opening up a space where Back to Basics encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 39, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 39 vs 27, Back to Basics is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 39), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Back to Basics reflects far more light (LRV 39 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 39, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 39 vs 13, Back to Basics is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (44 vs 39) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 39), opening up a space where Back to Basics encloses it.
Back to Basics reflects far more light (LRV 39 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 39, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 39, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 39, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reads slightly lighter (LRV 51 vs 39), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 39 vs 12, Back to Basics is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 39 vs 8, Back to Basics is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 39, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 39 vs 12, Back to Basics is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (45 vs 39) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Back to Basics reads slightly lighter (LRV 39 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Back to Basics reflects far more light (LRV 39 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.