Merino vs Dix Blue
Where Merino belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Dix Blue is a Farrow & Ball color. Merino reads as beige-greige, while Dix Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Merino (LRV 58) reflects noticeably more light than Dix Blue (LRV 41), a difference of 17 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 18.3, 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.
Merino vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Merino 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 Merino 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. Merino 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. Merino 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. Merino reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Dix Blue.
Color Details
Merino vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Merino 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 Merino comparisons
See how Merino stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 58), opening up a space where Merino encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (58 vs 52) makes Merino the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 30, Merino is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 60 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 58 and 58, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 43, Merino is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 58 and 55, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 58, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 58), opening up a space where Merino encloses it.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 31, Merino is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 7, Merino is decisively the brighter choice.