Old White vs St Giles Blue
Old White and St Giles Blue come from the same Farrow & Ball collection. Old White reads as beige-greige, while St Giles Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 25-point LRV gap — 55 for Old White vs 30 for St Giles Blue — means Old White will open up a space more effectively. Where Old White leans warm, St Giles Blue reads cool — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 43.7 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Old White vs St Giles Blue in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Old White and St Giles 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. Old White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than St Giles Blue.
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. Old White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Old White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Old White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than St Giles Blue.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. Old White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Old White vs St Giles Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Old White on one side and St Giles 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.