Old School vs Dix Blue
Where Old School belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Dix Blue is a Farrow & Ball color. Old School reads as beige-greige, while Dix Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Dix Blue (LRV 41) reflects noticeably more light than Old School (LRV 16), a difference of 25 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 31.4, 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.
Old School vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Old School 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 Dix Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Old School 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. Dix Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Old School.
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. Dix 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. Dix Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Old School.
Color Details
Old School vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Old School 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 Old School comparisons
See how Old School stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 16, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 16), opening up a space where Old School encloses it.
Old School reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 16, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 16, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 16), opening up a space where Old School encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 16, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 16), opening up a space where Old School encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 16), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 16, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (16 vs 4) makes Old School the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 16), opening up a space where Old School encloses it.
With LRVs of 16 and 13, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 16), opening up a space where Old School encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 16, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (21 vs 16) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 16), opening up a space where Old School encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 16), opening up a space where Old School encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 16), opening up a space where Old School encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 16, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Old School reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Old School reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 16), opening up a space where Old School encloses it.
Old School reads slightly lighter (LRV 16 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 16), opening up a space where Old School encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 16, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (16 vs 7) makes Old School the marginally brighter of the two.