Lichen vs Dix Blue
Where Lichen belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Dix Blue is a Farrow & Ball color. Lichen reads as beige-greige, while Dix Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Lichen (LRV 56) reflects noticeably more light than Dix Blue (LRV 41), a difference of 15 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 15.7, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Lichen vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Lichen and Dix 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Lichen will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Dix Blue would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Lichen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dix Blue.
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. Lichen returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Lichen reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dix Blue.
Color Details
Lichen vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Lichen on one side and Dix 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 Lichen comparisons
See how Lichen stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 56, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Lichen reads slightly lighter (LRV 56 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Lichen reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 56), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 56), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 56 vs 27, Lichen is decisively the brighter choice.
Lichen reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 56 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 12-point LRV gap (56 vs 44) makes Lichen the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 56), opening up a space where Lichen encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (66 vs 56) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 56, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 12, Lichen is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 8, Lichen is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 56, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 12, Lichen is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (56 vs 45) makes Lichen the marginally brighter of the two.
Lichen reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Lichen reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.