Rare Happening vs Dix Blue
Where Rare Happening belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Dix Blue is a Farrow & Ball color. Rare Happening reads as beige, while Dix Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Dix Blue (LRV 41) reflects noticeably more light than Rare Happening (LRV 18), a difference of 23 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 36.3, 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.
Rare Happening vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Rare Happening 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 Rare Happening 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 Rare Happening.
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 Rare Happening.
Color Details
Rare Happening vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Rare Happening 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 Rare Happening comparisons
See how Rare Happening stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 18), opening up a space where Rare Happening encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 18, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 18 vs 6, Rare Happening is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 18), opening up a space where Rare Happening encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 18), opening up a space where Rare Happening encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 18, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 18), opening up a space where Rare Happening encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 18, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (27 vs 18) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 18), opening up a space where Rare Happening encloses it.
Rare Happening reflects far more light (LRV 18 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 18, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (18 vs 13) makes Rare Happening the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 18, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 18), opening up a space where Rare Happening encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 18), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 18, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 18, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 18, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 18), opening up a space where Rare Happening encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (18 vs 12) makes Rare Happening the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (18 vs 8) makes Rare Happening the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 18, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (18 vs 12) makes Rare Happening the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 18, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 18), opening up a space where Rare Happening encloses it.
Rare Happening reads slightly lighter (LRV 18 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.