Earl Blue vs Setting Plaster
Earl Blue (Dulux) and Setting Plaster (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Earl Blue belongs to the blue-grey family and Setting Plaster to the beige family. The 17-point LRV gap — 58 for Setting Plaster vs 41 for Earl Blue — means Setting Plaster will open up a space more effectively. Where Earl Blue leans cool, Setting Plaster reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 22.7 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Earl Blue vs Setting Plaster in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Earl Blue and Setting Plaster 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
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. Setting Plaster reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Setting Plaster returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Setting Plaster returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Setting Plaster returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Setting Plaster returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. Setting Plaster returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Earl Blue vs Setting Plaster Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Earl Blue on one side and Setting Plaster 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.
