Mellow Blue vs Iron Ore
Where Mellow Blue belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Mellow Blue belongs to the blue-green family and Iron Ore to the grey family. Mellow Blue (LRV 76) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 70 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 61.0, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Mellow Blue vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Mellow Blue and Iron Ore 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 Mellow Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore 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. Mellow Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Mellow Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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. Mellow Blue 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. Mellow Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Mellow Blue vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mellow Blue on one side and Iron Ore 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 Mellow Blue comparisons
See how Mellow Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 7-point LRV gap (83 vs 76) makes White Dove the marginally brighter of the two.
Mellow Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 76 vs 69), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 76 vs 52, Mellow Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 76 vs 58, Mellow Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 76 vs 27, Mellow Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 76 vs 55, Mellow Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 76 vs 13, Mellow Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 76 vs 44, Mellow Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 76), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (76 vs 66) makes Mellow Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 76 vs 74), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 7-point LRV gap (83 vs 76) makes Snowbound the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 76 vs 12, Mellow Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (76 vs 68) makes Mellow Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Mellow Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 76 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 76 vs 12, Mellow Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 76 vs 45, Mellow Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Mellow Blue reflects far more light (LRV 76 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.
Mellow Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 76 vs 72), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.