John's Blue vs Gustavian Blue
John's Blue (Cloverdale Paint) and Gustavian Blue (Jotun) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, John's Blue belongs to the blue family and Gustavian Blue to the blue-grey family. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 36 vs 38 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 11.5 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
John's Blue vs Gustavian Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing John's Blue and Gustavian 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.
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.
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.
Color Details
John's Blue vs Gustavian Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see John's Blue on one side and Gustavian 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 John's Blue comparisons
See how John's Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
