Fresh Sage vs Calamine
Where Fresh Sage belongs to Dulux's range, Calamine is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Fresh Sage belongs to the green-grey family and Calamine to the pink-red family. Calamine (LRV 68) reflects noticeably more light than Fresh Sage (LRV 33), a difference of 34 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Fresh Sage runs neutral while Calamine is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 29.0, 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.
Fresh Sage vs Calamine in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Fresh Sage and Calamine 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 Calamine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Fresh Sage 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. Calamine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Fresh Sage.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Calamine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Fresh Sage.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Calamine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Calamine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Fresh Sage.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Calamine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Fresh Sage would.
Color Details
Fresh Sage vs Calamine Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Fresh Sage on one side and Calamine 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 Fresh Sage comparisons
See how Fresh Sage stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 33), opening up a space where Fresh Sage encloses it.
Fresh Sage reflects far more light (LRV 33 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 33, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (33 vs 30) makes Fresh Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 33), opening up a space where Fresh Sage encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 33, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 33), opening up a space where Fresh Sage encloses it.
Fresh Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 33 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 10-point LRV gap (43 vs 33) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 33), opening up a space where Fresh Sage encloses it.
Fresh Sage reflects far more light (LRV 33 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 33), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 33, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 33 vs 21, Fresh Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 33), opening up a space where Fresh Sage encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 33), opening up a space where Fresh Sage encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 33), opening up a space where Fresh Sage encloses it.
Fresh Sage reflects far more light (LRV 33 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Fresh Sage reflects far more light (LRV 33 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 33), opening up a space where Fresh Sage encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (41 vs 33) makes Dix Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Fresh Sage reflects far more light (LRV 33 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 33), opening up a space where Fresh Sage encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 33 vs 31), so neither reads brighter in a room.