Empress Lila vs Borrowed Light
Where Empress Lila belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Borrowed Light is a Farrow & Ball color. Empress Lila reads as blue, while Borrowed Light reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (71 vs 69), so they'll read as similarly Light in most lighting conditions. The ΔE 9.0 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Empress Lila vs Borrowed Light in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Empress Lila and Borrowed Light 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. 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.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Empress Lila vs Borrowed Light Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Empress Lila on one side and Borrowed Light 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 Empress Lila comparisons
See how Empress Lila stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 71), opening up a space where Empress Lila encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 71 vs 69), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Empress Lila reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 71 vs 52, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 71 vs 30, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.
Empress Lila reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (71 vs 60) makes Empress Lila the marginally brighter of the two.
Empress Lila reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Empress Lila reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 71 vs 43, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 71 vs 4, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.
Empress Lila reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Empress Lila reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Empress Lila reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 71, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 71 vs 21, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.
Empress Lila reads slightly lighter (LRV 71 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 71), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Snowbound reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 71), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Empress Lila reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
With LRVs of 71 and 68, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 71 vs 41, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (71 vs 68) makes Empress Lila the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 71 vs 25, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.
Empress Lila reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Empress Lila reflects far more light (LRV 71 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 71 vs 31, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 71 vs 7, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 71 vs 24, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 71 vs 57, Empress Lila is decisively the brighter choice.