Stiffkey Blue vs Stirabout
Both are Farrow & Ball colors. Hue-wise, Stiffkey Blue belongs to the blue family and Stirabout to the beige-greige family. At LRV 63 vs 10, Stirabout will read as the brighter of the two — a 53-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. The tonal difference — Stiffkey Blue's cool character against Stirabout's warm — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 49.1, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Stiffkey Blue vs Stirabout in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Stiffkey Blue and Stirabout 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
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. Stirabout returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Stirabout will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Stiffkey Blue would.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The LRV gap is large enough that Stirabout will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Stiffkey Blue would.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. Stirabout reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Stiffkey Blue.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The LRV gap is large enough that Stirabout will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Stiffkey Blue would.
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 LRV gap is large enough that Stirabout will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Stiffkey Blue would.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The LRV gap is large enough that Stirabout will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Stiffkey Blue would.
Color Details
Stiffkey Blue vs Stirabout Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Stiffkey Blue on one side and Stirabout 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 Stiffkey Blue comparisons
See how Stiffkey Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 10), opening up a space where Stiffkey Blue encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 10, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (10 vs 6) makes Stiffkey Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 10), opening up a space where Stiffkey Blue encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 10), opening up a space where Stiffkey Blue encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 10, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 10), opening up a space where Stiffkey Blue encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 10, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 10, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 10), opening up a space where Stiffkey Blue encloses it.
Stiffkey Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 10 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 10, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (13 vs 10) makes Bancha the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 10, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 10), opening up a space where Stiffkey Blue encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 10), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 10, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 10, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 10, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 10), opening up a space where Stiffkey Blue encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 10), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 10 vs 8), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 10, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 10), opening up a space where Stiffkey Blue encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 10), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 10, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 10), opening up a space where Stiffkey Blue encloses it.