Soft Grey vs Hicks' Blue
Where Soft Grey belongs to Jotun's range, Hicks' Blue is a Little Greene color. Soft Grey reads as greige-grey, while Hicks' Blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Soft Grey has an LRV of 40. Soft Grey runs warm while Hicks' Blue is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 38.3, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Soft Grey vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Soft Grey 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Soft Grey vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Soft Grey 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 Soft Grey comparisons
See how Soft Grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 40, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Soft Grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 40 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 40), opening up a space where Soft Grey encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 40, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 27, Soft Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 40, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (44 vs 40) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 40), opening up a space where Soft Grey encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 40, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 40, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 12, Soft Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 8, Soft Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 40, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 12, Soft Grey is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (45 vs 40) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Soft Grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 40 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Soft Grey reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.