Blue Ground vs RAL 690-1
Where Blue Ground belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, RAL 690-1 is a RAL Effect color. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Blue Ground (LRV 49) reflects noticeably more light than RAL 690-1 (LRV 33), a difference of 17 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 22.7, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Blue Ground vs RAL 690-1 in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Blue Ground and RAL 690-1 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 Ground will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than RAL 690-1 would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Blue Ground reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than RAL 690-1.
Color Details
Blue Ground vs RAL 690-1 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Ground on one side and RAL 690-1 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 Ground comparisons
See how Blue Ground stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
