Blue Gray vs Pitch Blue
Both from Farrow & Ball's palette. Blue Gray reads as blue-greige, while Pitch Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Blue Gray (LRV 45) reflects noticeably more light than Pitch Blue (LRV 15), a difference of 29 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Blue Gray runs warm while Pitch Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 39.9, 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.
Blue Gray vs Pitch Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Blue Gray and Pitch Blue 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 Blue Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Pitch 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. Blue Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Pitch 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. Blue Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Pitch Blue.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Blue Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Pitch Blue.
Color Details
Blue Gray vs Pitch Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Gray on one side and Pitch Blue 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 Blue Gray comparisons
See how Blue Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
