Soft Blue vs Dover Surf
Soft Blue (Cloverdale Paint) and Dover Surf (Valspar) come from different manufacturers. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. The 6-point LRV gap — 59 for Soft Blue vs 53 for Dover Surf — means Soft Blue will open up a space more effectively. ΔE 8.4 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Soft Blue vs Dover Surf in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Soft Blue and Dover Surf are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Soft Blue reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Soft Blue has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Soft Blue vs Dover Surf Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Soft Blue on one side and Dover Surf 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 Soft Blue comparisons
See how Soft Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 59, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Soft Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 59 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Soft Blue reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
With LRVs of 60 and 59, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 59 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 59 vs 27, Soft Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Soft Blue reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (59 vs 55) makes Soft Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 59 vs 44, Soft Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 59), opening up a space where Soft Blue encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (66 vs 59) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 59, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 12, Soft Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 8, Soft Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (68 vs 59) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 59 vs 12, Soft Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 45, Soft Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Soft Blue reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.