Kittiwake vs Faded Flaxflower
Kittiwake is a Farrow & Ball color while Faded Flaxflower comes from Sherwin-Williams. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. At LRV 44 vs 39, Faded Flaxflower will read as the brighter of the two — a 5-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. They share a cool quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. At ΔE 3.1, the difference is perceptible but not dramatic — the two can work harmoniously in the same space. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Kittiwake vs Faded Flaxflower in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Kittiwake and Faded Flaxflower are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. Faded Flaxflower has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The brightness difference is modest but present — Faded Flaxflower gives the walls a little more lift.
Home Office
In a home office, wall color sits in your peripheral vision for hours at a time, so temperature and undertone matter more than you might expect. The brightness difference is modest but present — Faded Flaxflower gives the walls a little more lift.
Mudroom
A mudroom color needs to hold up under the most casual scrutiny: a glance as you're coming and going, often in mixed or artificial light. Faded Flaxflower reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The brightness difference is modest but present — Faded Flaxflower gives the walls a little more lift.
Color Details
Kittiwake vs Faded Flaxflower Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Kittiwake on one side and Faded Flaxflower 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 Kittiwake comparisons
See how Kittiwake stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 39), opening up a space where Kittiwake encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 39, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (39 vs 30) makes Kittiwake the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 39, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 39), opening up a space where Kittiwake encloses it.
Kittiwake reflects far more light (LRV 39 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (43 vs 39) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 39), opening up a space where Kittiwake encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 39), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 39, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 39), opening up a space where Kittiwake encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 39), opening up a space where Kittiwake encloses it.
Kittiwake reflects far more light (LRV 39 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Kittiwake reflects far more light (LRV 39 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 39), opening up a space where Kittiwake encloses it.
Kittiwake reflects far more light (LRV 39 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 39), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 8-point LRV gap (39 vs 31) makes Kittiwake the marginally brighter of the two.