Earl Blue vs Natural Tan
Where Earl Blue belongs to Dulux's range, Natural Tan is a Sherwin-Williams color. Earl Blue reads as blue-grey, while Natural Tan reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Natural Tan (LRV 65) reflects noticeably more light than Earl Blue (LRV 41), a difference of 24 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Earl Blue runs cool while Natural Tan is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 20.4, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Earl Blue vs Natural Tan in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Earl Blue and Natural Tan 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 Natural Tan will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Earl Blue 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. Natural Tan reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Natural Tan reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
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. Natural Tan reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Natural Tan reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Natural Tan reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Earl Blue.
Color Details
Earl Blue vs Natural Tan Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Earl Blue on one side and Natural Tan 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.
