Deep Water vs Stiffkey Blue paint color comparison

Deep Water vs Stiffkey Blue

Deep WaterCloverdale PaintvsStiffkey BlueFarrow & BallΔE 5.6Noticeable difference

Deep Water (Cloverdale Paint) and Stiffkey Blue (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 12 vs 10 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. ΔE 5.6 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Deep Water vs Stiffkey Blue in Real Spaces

5 real rooms side by side. Deep Water and Stiffkey Blue are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.

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.

Deep WaterDeep Water CA203 by Cloverdale Paint — Living Room

@visualization

Stiffkey BlueFarrow and Ball Stiffkey Blue 281 living room fireplace

@barnesandmoss

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.

Deep WaterDeep Water CA203 by Cloverdale Paint — Bedroom

@visualization

Stiffkey BlueFarrow and Ball Stiffkey Blue 281 bedroom

@riverapartment

Kitchen

Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.

Deep WaterDeep Water CA203 by Cloverdale Paint — Kitchen

@visualization

Stiffkey BlueFarrow and Ball Stiffkey Blue 281 kitchen

@jonospink

Dining Room

Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. 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.

Deep WaterDeep Water CA203 by Cloverdale Paint — Dining Room

@visualization

Stiffkey BlueFarrow and Ball Stiffkey Blue 281 dining room

@de_drye_kaasen

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.

Deep WaterDeep Water CA203 by Cloverdale Paint — Bathroom

@visualization

Stiffkey BlueFarrow and Ball Stiffkey Blue 281 bathroom

@stowflat

Color Details

Deep Water
Cloverdale Paint · CA203
LRV11.6
BrandCloverdale Paint
NumberCA203
Undertone
Temperature
BrightnessDark
Stiffkey Blue
Farrow & Ball · 281
LRV10.0
BrandFarrow & Ball
Number281
Undertone
TemperatureCool
BrightnessDark

Deep Water vs Stiffkey Blue Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Deep Water on one side and Stiffkey Blue on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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 Deep Water comparisons

See how Deep Water stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

Deep Water
Ammonite
Deep Water
Ammonite
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

At LRV 69 vs 12, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.

White Dove
Deep Water
White Dove
Deep Water
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
Iron Ore
Deep Water
Iron Ore
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Deep Water reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Deep Water
Purbeck Stone
Deep Water
Purbeck Stone
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

At LRV 52 vs 12, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.

Deep Water
Evergreen Fog
Deep Water
Evergreen Fog
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

At LRV 30 vs 12, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.

Deep Water
Mizzle
Deep Water
Mizzle
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
Agreeable Gray
Deep Water
Agreeable Gray
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

At LRV 60 vs 12, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.

Deep Water
Accessible Beige
Deep Water
Accessible Beige
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
Denim Drift
Deep Water
Denim Drift
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
French Gray
Deep Water
French Gray
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

At LRV 43 vs 12, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.

Deep Water
Naval
Deep Water
Naval
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

A 7-point LRV gap (12 vs 4) makes Deep Water the marginally brighter of the two.

Deep Water
Tranquil Dawn
Deep Water
Tranquil Dawn
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
Bancha
Deep Water
Bancha
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13

With LRVs of 13 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.

Deep Water
Hardwick White
Deep Water
Hardwick White
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
Pure White
Deep Water
Pure White
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

At LRV 84 vs 12, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.

Deep Water
Artichoke
Deep Water
Artichoke
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21

A 10-point LRV gap (21 vs 12) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.

Balboa Mist
Deep Water
Balboa Mist
Deep Water
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
Shoji White
Deep Water
Shoji White
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
Snowbound
Deep Water
Snowbound
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
Pigeon
Deep Water
Pigeon
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12
Farrow & Ball
Pigeon
LRV 51

At LRV 51 vs 12, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.

Deep Water
Pewter Green
Deep Water
Pewter Green
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

With LRVs of 12 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.

Deep Water
Duck Green
Deep Water
Duck Green
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Deep Water reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Deep Water
Skimming Stone
Deep Water
Skimming Stone
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
Dix Blue
Deep Water
Dix Blue
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41

At LRV 41 vs 12, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.

Deep Water
Hicks' Blue
Deep Water
Hicks' Blue
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Deep Water vs Hicks' Blue

Deep Water
Slaked Lime Deep
Deep Water
Slaked Lime Deep

Deep Water vs Slaked Lime Deep

Vintage Vogue
Deep Water
Vintage Vogue
Deep Water
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

With LRVs of 12 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.

Deep Water
Livid
Deep Water
Livid
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Deep Water vs Livid

Saybrook Sage
Deep Water
Saybrook Sage
Deep Water
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12

Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 12), opening up a space where Deep Water encloses it.

Deep Water
Pale Green
Deep Water
Pale Green
Cloverdale Paint
Deep Water
CA203 · LRV 12
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

At LRV 31 vs 12, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.