Buffed Plum vs Hicks' Blue
Buffed Plum (Cloverdale Paint) and Hicks' Blue (Little Greene) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Buffed Plum belongs to the blue-grey family and Hicks' Blue to the blue family. Buffed Plum has an LRV of 45. A ΔE of 37.3 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.
Buffed Plum vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Buffed Plum 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
Buffed Plum vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Buffed Plum 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 Buffed Plum comparisons
See how Buffed Plum stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 45), opening up a space where Buffed Plum encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 45, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 6, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Buffed Plum reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (52 vs 45) makes Mizzle the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 45), opening up a space where Buffed Plum encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 45, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 27, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 45 and 43, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Buffed Plum reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (55 vs 45) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 13, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 44), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 45), opening up a space where Buffed Plum encloses it.
Buffed Plum reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 45, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 45, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 45, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reads slightly lighter (LRV 51 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 45 vs 12, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 8, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 45, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Buffed Plum reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 45 vs 12, Buffed Plum is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 45), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Buffed Plum reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Buffed Plum reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.