Earl Blue vs De Nimes
Where Earl Blue belongs to Dulux's range, De Nimes 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. Earl Blue (LRV 41) reflects noticeably more light than De Nimes (LRV 19), a difference of 22 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean cool, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 18.3, 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.
Earl Blue vs De Nimes in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Earl Blue and De Nimes 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 Earl Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than De Nimes 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. Earl Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than De Nimes.
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. Earl Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than De Nimes.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Earl Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than De Nimes.
Color Details
Earl Blue vs De Nimes Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Earl Blue on one side and De Nimes 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 Earl Blue comparisons
See how Earl Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
