Niagara Blues 1 vs Calamine
Niagara Blues 1 (Dulux) and Calamine (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. Niagara Blues 1 reads as blue, while Calamine reads as pink-red — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 53-point LRV gap — 68 for Calamine vs 15 for Niagara Blues 1 — means Calamine will open up a space more effectively. Where Niagara Blues 1 leans cool, Calamine reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 48.1 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Niagara Blues 1 vs Calamine in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Niagara Blues 1 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
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. Calamine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Niagara Blues 1.
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. Calamine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Calamine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Niagara Blues 1 would.
Color Details
Niagara Blues 1 vs Calamine Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Niagara Blues 1 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 Niagara Blues 1 comparisons
See how Niagara Blues 1 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 15, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
Niagara Blues 1 reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 15, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 15, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 15, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 15, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (15 vs 4) makes Niagara Blues 1 the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
With LRVs of 15 and 13, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 15, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (21 vs 15) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 15, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Niagara Blues 1 reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Niagara Blues 1 reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 15, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Niagara Blues 1 reads slightly lighter (LRV 15 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 15), opening up a space where Niagara Blues 1 encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 15, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.