Dix Blue vs Functional Gray
Where Dix Blue belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Functional Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Dix Blue reads as blue-grey, while Functional Gray reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Dix Blue (LRV 41) reflects noticeably more light than Functional Gray (LRV 37), a difference of 4 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Dix Blue runs cool while Functional Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 12.0, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Dix Blue vs Functional Gray in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Dix Blue and Functional Gray 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Dix Blue gives the walls a little more lift.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Dix Blue reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Dix Blue reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Dix Blue reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Dix Blue reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Dix Blue vs Functional Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Dix Blue on one side and Functional Gray 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.
