Merlins Beard vs Hicks' Blue
Where Merlins Beard belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Hicks' Blue is a Little Greene color. Merlins Beard reads as beige, while Hicks' Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Merlins Beard has an LRV of 77. With a ΔE of 56.9, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Merlins Beard vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Merlins Beard and Hicks' 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. 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.
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
Merlins Beard vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Merlins Beard on one side and Hicks' 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 Merlins Beard comparisons
See how Merlins Beard stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Merlins Beard reads slightly lighter (LRV 77 vs 69), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 6-point LRV gap (83 vs 77) makes White Dove the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 77 vs 6, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 52, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 58, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 27, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 55, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 13, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 44, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 77), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (77 vs 66) makes Merlins Beard the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 77 vs 74), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 6-point LRV gap (83 vs 77) makes Snowbound the marginally brighter of the two.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 51), opening up a space where Pigeon encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 12, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 8, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (77 vs 68) makes Merlins Beard the marginally brighter of the two.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 77 vs 12, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 77 vs 45, Merlins Beard is decisively the brighter choice.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Merlins Beard reflects far more light (LRV 77 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.