Desired Dawn vs Blackened
Desired Dawn (Cloverdale Paint) and Blackened (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Desired Dawn reads as grey-red, while Blackened reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 70 vs 71 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 2.4 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Desired Dawn vs Blackened in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Desired Dawn and Blackened 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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Desired Dawn vs Blackened Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Desired Dawn on one side and Blackened 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 Desired Dawn comparisons
See how Desired Dawn stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
With LRVs of 70 and 69, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 83 vs 70, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 6, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Desired Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Desired Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 70 vs 52, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Desired Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 70 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 70 vs 58, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 27, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Desired Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Desired Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 70 vs 55, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 13, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 44, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 70), opening up a space where Desired Dawn encloses it.
Desired Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (70 vs 66) makes Desired Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
A 4-point LRV gap (74 vs 70) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 83 vs 70, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Desired Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 51), opening up a space where Pigeon encloses it.
At LRV 70 vs 12, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 8, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 70 vs 68), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Desired Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 70 vs 12, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 70 vs 45, Desired Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Desired Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 70 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.