Smoky Day vs Dix Blue
Where Smoky Day belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Dix Blue is a Farrow & Ball color. These are both blue-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue-grey to land. Dix Blue (LRV 41) reflects noticeably more light than Smoky Day (LRV 28), a difference of 13 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 11.6, 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.
Smoky Day vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Smoky Day 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 Smoky Day 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 Smoky Day.
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 Smoky Day.
Color Details
Smoky Day vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smoky Day 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 Smoky Day comparisons
See how Smoky Day stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
