Cook's Blue vs Hardwick White
Both from Farrow & Ball's palette. Hue-wise, Cook's Blue belongs to the blue family and Hardwick White to the greige-grey family. Hardwick White (LRV 44) reflects noticeably more light than Cook's Blue (LRV 25), a difference of 19 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Cook's Blue runs cool while Hardwick White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 34.3, 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.
Cook's Blue vs Hardwick White in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cook's Blue and Hardwick White 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 Hardwick White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cook's 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. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cook's 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. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cook's Blue.
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. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cook's Blue.
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 Hardwick White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Cook's Blue would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Hardwick White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Cook's Blue.
Color Details
Cook's Blue vs Hardwick White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cook's Blue on one side and Hardwick White 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 Cook's Blue comparisons
See how Cook's Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 25, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 25), opening up a space where Cook's Blue encloses it.
At LRV 25 vs 6, Cook's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 25), opening up a space where Cook's Blue encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 25), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 25, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 25), opening up a space where Cook's Blue encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 25, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 27 vs 25), so neither reads brighter in a room.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 25), opening up a space where Cook's Blue encloses it.
Cook's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 25 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 25, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (25 vs 13) makes Cook's Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 25), opening up a space where Cook's Blue encloses it.
Cook's Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 25 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 25, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 25, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 25, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 12, Cook's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 25, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 25), opening up a space where Cook's Blue encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 25), opening up a space where Cook's Blue encloses it.
With LRVs of 25 and 25, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 25 vs 12, Cook's Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 25, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 25), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cook's Blue reflects far more light (LRV 25 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
With LRVs of 25 and 24, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 25), opening up a space where Cook's Blue encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 25), opening up a space where Cook's Blue encloses it.