Blue Ground vs Iron Ore
Where Blue Ground belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Blue Ground belongs to the blue family and Iron Ore to the grey family. Blue Ground (LRV 49) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 44 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Blue Ground runs cool while Iron Ore is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 50.4, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Blue Ground vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Blue Ground and Iron Ore 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 Iron Ore would.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Blue Ground reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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 Blue Ground will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore 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 Iron Ore.
Color Details
Blue Ground vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Blue Ground on one side and Iron Ore 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.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 49), opening up a space where Blue Ground encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 49, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 52 and 49, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Blue Ground reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 52 vs 49), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 49), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 8-point LRV gap (58 vs 49) makes Accessible Beige the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 49 vs 27, Blue Ground is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Ground reads slightly lighter (LRV 49 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Blue Ground reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (55 vs 49) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 49 vs 13, Blue Ground is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (49 vs 44) makes Blue Ground the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 49), opening up a space where Blue Ground encloses it.
Blue Ground reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 49, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 49, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 49, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 51 and 49, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 49 vs 12, Blue Ground is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 8, Blue Ground is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 49, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Blue Ground reads slightly lighter (LRV 49 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 49 vs 12, Blue Ground is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (49 vs 45) makes Blue Ground the marginally brighter of the two.
Blue Ground reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Blue Ground reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.