Dorset Cream vs Hicks' Blue
Dorset Cream (Farrow & Ball) and Hicks' Blue (Little Greene) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Dorset Cream belongs to the beige family and Hicks' Blue to the blue family. Dorset Cream has an LRV of 68. Where Dorset Cream leans warm, Hicks' Blue reads blue — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 64.5 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Dorset Cream vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Dorset Cream and Hicks' Blue 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Dorset Cream vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Dorset Cream on one side and Hicks' Blue 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 Dorset Cream comparisons
See how Dorset Cream stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
With LRVs of 69 and 68, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 83 vs 68, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 6, Dorset Cream is decisively the brighter choice.
Dorset Cream reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Dorset Cream reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 68 vs 52, Dorset Cream is decisively the brighter choice.
Dorset Cream reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 10-point LRV gap (68 vs 58) makes Dorset Cream the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 27, Dorset Cream is decisively the brighter choice.
Dorset Cream reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Dorset Cream reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 68 vs 55, Dorset Cream is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 13, Dorset Cream is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 44, Dorset Cream is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 68), opening up a space where Dorset Cream encloses it.
Dorset Cream reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 7-point LRV gap (74 vs 68) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 83 vs 68, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Dorset Cream reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 51), opening up a space where Pigeon encloses it.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Dorset Cream is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 8, Dorset Cream is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 68), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Dorset Cream reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Dorset Cream is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 45, Dorset Cream is decisively the brighter choice.
Dorset Cream reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Dorset Cream reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.