Borrowed Blue vs Hinting Blue
Borrowed Blue is a Dulux color while Hinting Blue comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. At LRV 72 vs 68, Borrowed Blue will read as the brighter of the two — a 4-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. They share a cool quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. With a ΔE of 1.8, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Borrowed Blue vs Hinting Blue in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Borrowed Blue and Hinting Blue 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Borrowed Blue has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The brightness difference is modest but present — Borrowed Blue gives the walls a little more lift.
Color Details
Borrowed Blue vs Hinting Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Borrowed Blue on one side and Hinting 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 Borrowed Blue comparisons
See how Borrowed Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 72), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 3-point LRV gap (72 vs 69) makes Borrowed Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Borrowed Blue reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 72 vs 52, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 30, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Borrowed Blue reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (72 vs 60) makes Borrowed Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Borrowed Blue reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Borrowed Blue reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 72 vs 43, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 4, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Borrowed Blue reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Borrowed Blue reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Borrowed Blue reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (84 vs 72) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 72 vs 21, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Borrowed Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 74 and 72, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Snowbound reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 72), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Borrowed Blue reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Borrowed Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 72 vs 41, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (72 vs 68) makes Borrowed Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 72 vs 25, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Borrowed Blue reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Borrowed Blue reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 72 vs 31, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 7, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 24, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 57, Borrowed Blue is decisively the brighter choice.