Dix Blue vs Clary Sage
Where Dix Blue belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Clary Sage is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Dix Blue belongs to the blue-grey family and Clary Sage to the greige-grey family. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (41 vs 41), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. Dix Blue runs cool while Clary Sage is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 12.2, 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.
Dix Blue vs Clary Sage in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Dix Blue and Clary Sage 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 temperature contrast between Clary Sage and Dix Blue is what sets these apart most in this context.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Clary Sage brings more warmth to the space, while Dix Blue keeps things cooler and crisper.
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. Clary Sage brings more warmth to the space, while Dix Blue keeps things cooler and crisper.
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. Clary Sage brings more warmth to the space, while Dix Blue keeps things cooler and crisper.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The temperature contrast between Clary Sage and Dix Blue is what sets these apart most in this context.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Clary Sage brings more warmth to the space, while Dix Blue keeps things cooler and crisper.
Color Details
Dix Blue vs Clary Sage Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Dix Blue on one side and Clary Sage 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 Dix Blue comparisons
See how Dix Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
